


The Truth Revealed

by LunariaTaisho



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-12
Updated: 2017-06-12
Packaged: 2018-11-13 04:48:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 24,886
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11177376
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LunariaTaisho/pseuds/LunariaTaisho
Summary: During his journey to save his childhood friend, Link meets a sweet little girl who is looking for her mommy. Being the kind, caring man he is, Link decides to help her. Little did he know that this chance meeting would change his life forever, and reveal the truth of the war between Hylia and Demise.





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own Link, Ghirahim, Demise, Zelda or any of the other canon characters nor do I own the cover photo. All I own are the OCs and the plot. I hope you enjoy the story.

Link’s POV

I had seen a lot of strange things since I began my journey to rescue Zelda, but I had never seen anything quite as unusual as the scene I had walked into that day. I was traveling through Faron Woods, heading back to the Sealed Grounds when I entered my favorite clearing. It was a beautiful place filled with flowers of every color surrounding a small white stone and crystal structure. I think it was a statue at one time, though it didn’t resemble a person, more of an abstract pyramid. The evening sun shone down giving the clearing a mystical glow. This clearing is one that I had seen several times during my journey. I would often come back to it after fighting a particularly difficult battle, especially when I had battled Ghirahim.

The clearing was usually empty and peaceful. For some reason, not even the Daku Babas would enter it and it felt safe, almost sacred, like coming home. Other than the occasional Kikwis, squirrels, rabbits, and fairies, it seemed that no one and nothing else had ever visited the clearing, which made it an ideal place to camp or rest. However, on that day, my special clearing was far from calm. I felt my jaw drop and I watched with wide eyes as a little, white haired girl in a black dress, who looked no older than five, shrieked in terror as she ran around the clearing.

I could have understood the girl’s panic if she was being chased by Daku Babas, Bokoblins, or even a Kikwi. But I never would have expected to see anyone running away from a fairy. I was so confused about the situation that I didn’t dodge when the girl ran straight into me, though I reflectively caught her as she started to fall back and set her on my hip. The fairy, having lost interest in the little girl, flew away to dance over the flowers again.

“Mommy, Mommy, Mommy.” I sighed and stroked the trembling child’s back as she whimpered and clung to me. It broke my heart every time I heard a child cry.

“Sh, it’s alright, little one. There’s nothing to fear.” I tilted her face up and brushed a bit of hair out of the way. “The fairy wouldn’t have hurt you. It was just curious, that’s all.”

Her long white hair glistened like newly fallen snow and framed her delicate, light golden tan, heart-shaped face. Her deep sky-blue, draconic eyes were underlined with what looked like leaf green eyeshadow though the lines weren’t smudged from the tears that fell from her eyes as she whimpered.

I smiled at her as I wiped the tears off her little cheeks and gently rubbed the black heart-shaped mark that rested on her cheekbone under her left eye. Dangling from her long, pointed ears were two black heart earrings on silver chains. The heart theme was continued in her clothes as well. The sleeves of her dress had hearts cut out as they clung to her arms, her white belt had three leaf green heart shaped stones, and her the hem of her skirt had white and green hearts embroidered around it. Her little feet were encased in white ankle boots with a green and a black heart intertwined on the top. She smiled timidly before she snuggled into my chest and yawned.

“Are you sure that glowing pink thing won’t hurt me?” I chuckled and settled down against a tree. She curled up in my lap and yawned again.

“I’m sure, little one. Fairies only heal, they don’t hurt people.” I’ve always liked children, but this one had instantly wormed her way into my heart. Something about her felt familiar. “My name’s Link, what’s your name?”

“Kaghira but mommy sometimes calls me Kaggy.” I felt my heart squeeze for in instant. For as long as I could remember, I had wanted a daughter named Kaghira or a son named either Ghirayan or Karahim. Zelda had thought the names were strange and teased me about it. There were times when my childhood friend wasn’t very nice.

“That’s a beautiful name. What are you doing out here by yourself, Kaghira?”

“Mommy’s been gone a long time and I heard one of the servants say that Mommy was looking for something here. So, I came to find Mommy.”

“It’s dangerous out here, Kaghira. You should have brought someone who can fight come with you if you couldn’t wait at home.”

“But, none of the servants can come here.” She wrapped her arms around my left arm and yawned again as she snuggled into me. “I just want my Mommy.”

I sighed and stroked her hair as her breathing evened out before humming my favorite lullaby. After a few minutes, I felt her completely relax and I knew she was fast asleep.

“Fi.” I smiled as my blue and purple companion emerged from my sword.

“Master, I calculate there is a 90 percent chance that you are going to help the child find her mother. There is also a 60 percent chance that you have formed an attachment to the child.”

“I’m definitely going to help Kaghira find her mother. Can you sense anyone around?”

“There is no one else within my range, Master.” I nodded.

“Then we’ll just have to look farther into the woods tomorrow.”

“Master, I calculate that there is a 93 percent chance that you don’t know the child is a demon.” I raised a brow and looked down at the little girl.

“Are you sure she’s a demon?”

“100 percent sure, master. Her energy signature is unmistakably that of a demon, a high-ranking demon as well, for being so young. I would say the child is fifty years old, making her the equivalent of a Hylian five-year-old.” I sighed and shook my head.

“Ok, so we’re looking for a female demon tomorrow. That will make things more difficult.”

“Master, is it wise to go looking for a demon? They are the enemy.” I scowled and shook my head again.

“Fi, Kaghira is a little girl, looking for her mother. You can’t condemn an entire race due to the actions of a few. This little one is much too young to have been involved in the war between Demise and Hylia.” Fi nodded and started dancing around the clearing.

“Very well, Master. I will start drowsing for demon energy signatures in the morning.” I smiled at Fi and nodded.

“Thank you, Fi. Please wake me if anything dangerous enters your range.”

“Yes, Master. Sleep well.” I closed my eyes as I leaned back against the tree and soon fell asleep.

_I found myself in the same large room I had seen in many of my dreams. The walls were made of white stone and the floor was polished hard wood. Someone was sitting beside me on the large, soft bed. Long delicate hands tucked a green quilt around me before stroking my hair back from my face. I looked up to see a beautiful woman with pale skin, long black hair and sky-blue eyes smiling down at me._

_“Is my little prince tired?” Her voice was soothing and sweet._

_“Nuh uh.” I felt myself yawn. “I’m not tired, Mommy.”_

_“I think you are. You want to be well rested for tomorrow, dearest.”_

_“I’m too excited to sleep, Mommy. Daddy’s going to teach me how to use a sword tomorrow.” The woman laughed and kissed my forehead._

_“All the more reason to sleep now. How about I sing you a lullaby? That should help you sleep.” I felt myself smile and nod._

_“Little prince, so brave, so true,_

_Let your loving heart guide you._

_Through day and night,_

_Through glee and plight,_

_Little prince, keep your light._

_Though the winds may howl,_

_Though the lightning may strike,_

_Little prince, you shall make it through._

_The world may shatter,_

_The sky may fall,_

_Little prince, you shall survive it all._

_Little prince, so brave, so true,_

_Let your loving heart guide you._

_Through day and night,_

_Through glee and plight,_

_Little prince, keep your light._

_Danger may threaten,_

_Evil my spread,_

_Little prince, use your clever head._

_Wisdom beyond years,_

_Courage beyond tears,_

_Little prince, your strength is clear._

_Little prince, so brave, so true,_

_Let your loving heart guide you._

_Through day and night,_

_Through glee and plight,_

_Little prince, keep your light.”_

_I felt myself yawn again as the familiar lullaby, the one that had haunted my dreams, had me drifting off to sleep._

_“Goodnight, my dear, sweet son.”_

_“Goodnight, Mommy.”_

_The scene changed and I was in a courtyard. The people in the courtyard all bowed as I passed, heading for the gate._

_“Son, stop.” I didn’t turn to look, but I knew that deep voice. I was no longer little. “This is a trap.”_

_“Dad, if there is a way to negotiate for Mom’s return then I must try.”_

_“She will only seal you away too. I cannot bear to lose you as well.” I sighed as I rested my hand on the pummel of my horse’s saddle._

_“I know, Dad, but I cannot stand the thought of never seeing Mom again. Please, take care of my Tamashī no hanryo until I return. With the birth coming soon, I worry.”_

_“Then stay and be here for the birth.”_

_“I wish that I could, but I must make it to the portal before the end of the week if I am to keep this meeting.” I wanted to look back at the man I called Dad, but I wasn’t able to. I knew that if I did, I would not be able to leave. “I shall return with all speed, Dad.”_

_I jumped into the saddle and lightly snapped the reigns. The horse started out even as I heard the man who I called Dad sigh._

_Again, the scene changed. I was younger than in the last scene and I was sitting on one of three thrones in a grand hall. The floor was polished black marble and the walls were rose granite. There were several people dancing and talking as music played in the background._

_“Your Highness, please. There must be someone here that caught your interest.”_

_“Daemond, all I see are the sons and daughters of social climbers. I will not wed someone who after my title and wealth.”_

_“But you must marry before your next birthday, my prince.”_

_“It matters not. I shall marry when I find my Tamashī no hanryo and not before then.” I sighed before turning away from the red-haired, green-eyed man. My eyes restlessly searched the room, looking for my Tamashī no hanryo._

_“Please, my prince. It is extremely rare to find your Tamashī no hanryo, not everyone is as lucky as your parents.”_

_“I will not marry any but my Tamashī no hanryo. I know that my Tamashī no hanryo is close by. I can feel it, but I cannot find it. It hides from me or is hidden from me.” I frowned at the thought that someone would hide my other half from me. The thought that my other half may be hiding from me sent a sharp pain through my heart._

_From the corner of my eye, I noticed someone in white and red enter the room. While I didn’t get a good look at them, the brief glance awakened a burning need to meet that person. The one with the long white hair in the white, form fitting shirt and pants and a red cape._

I woke up with a start as I felt something move in my arms. For a few brief seconds, I didn’t know where I was, but then my memories of the little girl returned. I smiled as I looked down to see her yawn widely. It was like watching a kitten wake up, including the longer canine teeth, which made her even more adorable for some reason.

“Good morning, Kaghira. Did you sleep well, little one?” She looked up at me, nodded and smiled.

“Morning, Link.” I chuckled as I heard her stomach growl. “I’m hungry.”

“Well, I have some pumpkin bars that we can eat before we go look for your mother.” Her eyes light up and she bounced on my lap.

“You’ll help me find Mommy?!” I nodded and laughed as she squealed and hugged me. “Thank you!”

“No problem, Kaghira.” I pulled out a few pumpkin bars and handed them to her before taking a few for myself. “Do you know where your mother was heading?”

She shook her head as she stuffed half of a bar in her mouth. I chuckled and patted her head before taking a bite of my bar. The next few minutes were spent in silence as we ate. Then I stood up and set her on her feet before leading her to a small creek to wash up.

“What’s your mother’s name?” I smiled as she tilted her head in confusion for a second.

“Mommy’s name is Mommy.” I chuckled at the innocent and confused reply. She smiled and grabbed my hand as we started walking. “Do you think we’ll find Mommy today?”

“I don’t know, little one. But don’t worry, we’ll keep looking until we find your mother.”

“Ok!”

We walked through Faron Woods for several hours. Kaghira asked a lot of questions about the different plants and animals we saw and I couldn’t help but smile as I told her about them. The first time we came across a Daku Baba, Kaghira was frightened and hid behind a bush as I fought it. By the time I had fought four Daku Babas, Kaghira had lost her fear and stood calmly out of the way while I fought.

When the sun was at its highest, we stopped next to a stream and ate. Kaghira hummed happily as we watched squirrels race around the trunks of trees. After traveling until the sun was starting to set, we still hadn’t found her mother. Fi hadn’t sensed any demonic energy at all. With a sigh, I picked the tired girl up.

“We’ll keep looking tomorrow, Kaghira. It’s getting late and there are no safe places to rest nearby.” She frowned and a tear slid down her cheek.

“I’m really tired and I miss my Mommy.” I hugged her and kissed the top of her head.

“I know, little one. Don’t worry, we’ll find her. But we need to be well rested before we can continue looking.” I smiled and tilted her face up. “I’m going to take you home with me for tonight and we’ll come back in the morning to keep looking, ok?”

“But, you said there was nowhere nearby to rest.” She tilted her head and frowned. “So, how are we going to get to your home before it gets dark?”

“We’re going to fly.” I chuckled at the confused look on her face before I whistled for Crimson, my loftwing. “You’re going to meet a good friend of mine, Crimson.”

A few seconds passed before Crimson landed in front of us. Kaghira’s eyes widened as my red and white loftwing ruffled his feathers before folding his large wings.

“That’s a big bird.” I laughed before getting on Crimson, setting her in front of me, and holding her firmly.

“We’ll get to my home before you know it, little one.” With that, Crimson took off. She gave a startled gasp as we left the ground, but giggled as we headed for the clouds and Skyloft.

We reached Skyloft just as the sun set. I picked Kaghira up and ran to the Knight Academy dorms, dodging a few wild remlits as we ran. They were adorable during the day, but at night, they were savage little things. Once we arrived at the dorms, I grabbed one of my old tunics and lead Kaghira to the bathroom for a bath. The bathroom had several different stalls for privacy, so we were both able to get cleaned up at the same time. Every time I heard her giggle and splash, I had to smile. I hadn’t had such a good day since Zelda was taken by that tornado.

That night, and every night after, I would dream about people I had never seen before, places I had never been, and a loved one that I couldn’t see properly. The man I called Dad in my dreams was a very tall and muscular man, but like my loved one, I couldn’t see his features. My mom’s face was visible, as was the faces and features of everyone else, but for some reason, I couldn’t see my Dad or my Tamashī no hanryo’s. I couldn’t hear Mom, Dad, or my Tamashī no hanryo’s names either.

There were dreams of walking hand in hand with my Tamashī no hanryo, who seemed to be slightly shorter than me, by a lake at night. While I could hear my Tamashī no hanryo’s words, I couldn’t really hear their voice or see what they looked like. There were dreams of being a young child and having Mom teach me to play the ocarina, the harp and the flute. Dreams of training with Dad with various weapons. Each morning I would wake up with an ache in my heart and a longing to find these people that I had never meet. I knew that I had never met them as I had spent my whole life in Skyloft until Zelda was taken.


	2. Chapter Two

Kaghira’s POV

Mommy had been gone for a long time and only came home every once in a while. It was lonely at the castle when Mommy wasn’t there. The servants were always busy and none of the other children were allowed to play with me. There was no one to sing to me or read me stories or kiss my ouchies when I fell down and I didn’t even have a sword spirit to keep me company since Mommy said I’m not old enough to have a sword spirit or a sword yet.

Every day was the same as the day before when Mommy was gone. A servant would wake me up, lay out my clothes, draw my bath and take me down to the dining room for breakfast. I would eat alone at the table before heading out to sit in the garden until I was called in for lunch. Then I would sit in my play room and color or put a puzzle together until I was called for dinner. After dinner, I would go to bed and wish the Mommy was there to tuck me in.

After waiting forever for Mommy to come back, I overheard the cook talking with the Bokoblin General, Porcini, about the quest Mommy was on. When I heard that Mommy had gone to the surface, I decided to go there too. I missed my mommy. I spent the rest of the day looking at the map in Grandpa’s study. I knew the portal to the surface wasn’t too far away by horse, but it seemed like a long way by foot.

As I looked at the map, I noticed that the lake Mommy would take me to was close to where the portal was. I grinned and giggled a bit. While I couldn’t teleport inside the castle due to the protective spells, once I was off the grounds, I could teleport to the lake and then find the portal.

Sneaking out of the castle that night was easy. The Bokoblin guards are really stupid and never watched the servant’s entrance. The servants are always too busy to notice me either, so it was easy to sneak a couple of cookies and an apple before heading out of the castle grounds. As soon as I was outside the protective spells, I snapped my fingers and disappeared with a flourish of black, white and green hearts.

When I got to the lake, I fell down, panting. It took a lot of energy to teleport and I knew it was going to be a couple of weeks before my magic energy came back. Mommy said that I would get better with magic as I grew up and that I was better than most people already. Mommy said that only really strong demons can teleport and they’re usually over a hundred before they can do it. Mommy said that I was able to do it because Mommy and Daddy are strong demons. I wish I knew Daddy, but Mommy’s all I have left since Grandpa disappeared when I was a baby.

I rested under a tree near the lake for a while before heading towards the mountains where the portal was supposed to be. It was a long walk and I ate my cookies and apple before I reached the mountain. I saw a few demon fireflies in the distance and made sure to keep far away from them. They liked to chase demons and spit fireballs at them. As pretty as they were, I didn’t want to have my bottom burned again. Mommy wasn’t there to make the ouchies go away.

After walking forever, the sun started to peak up over the mountain and I found the portal. I giggled and skipped through the portal to find that it was late in the day there. It confused me for a minute, since the sun was just rising at home, but I shrugged and started wondering through the forest.

The plants and animals were strange. The leaves were all green instead of silver and purple, the grass was also green instead of golden, and the sky was bright blue instead of red. There were strange fluffy gray things with long tails that chattered as they raced up the trees, white and brown fluffy things with long ears and cotton like tails that hopped around, and these little birds that didn’t have teeth or fang that came in a rainbow of colors.

I stopped next to a steam and watched some little fish swim around for a minute before moving on. I smiled as I come to a clearing in the forest. It was filled with lots of pretty flowers in all sorts of colors. As I headed into the clearing, I heard a fluttering noise and looked over my shoulder to see a pink demon firefly behind me. I shrieked and started running, trying to get away from the pink thing before it could shoot fire at me.

I was so scared that I started crying as I ran and screamed. I kept my eyes on the pink thing so I could dodge when it went to shoot fire at me. Since I wasn’t watching where I was going, I ran right into something and started to fall backwards. Before I could hit the ground, strong but gentle hands caught me and picked me up.

I clung to the person as I whimpered for Mommy. Mommy would make the scary bug go away.

“Sh, it’s alright, little one. There’s nothing to fear.” The person who was holding me tilted my face up. It was a man and his voice, though deep, was gentle and made me feel safe. “The fairy wouldn’t have hurt you. It was just curious, that’s all.”

He had shoulder length blonde-brown hair, eyes as blue as mine, and long pointed ears, just slightly shorter than Mommy’s. He was wearing a green tunic and long cap, brown gloves, and had a big sword and shield strapped to his back. He smiled at me as he wiped the tears off my checks and rubbed my demon mark like Mommy did to comfort me.  He made me feel safe, like Mommy did, so I smiled shyly at the light skinned man before I snuggled into his broad, firm chest and yawned.

“Are you sure that glowing pink thing won’t hurt me?” He chuckled and settled down against a tree. I curled up in his lap and yawned again.

“I’m sure, little one. Fairies only heal, they don’t hurt people.” I tilted my head and held back a sigh of relief. Mommy had told me about fairies, but I didn’t know they looked like demon fireflies. “My name’s Link, what’s your name?”

“Kaghira but mommy sometimes calls me Kaggy.” He got a funny look on his face for a second, like he was hurt, but it went away fast.

“That’s a beautiful name. What are you doing out here by yourself, Kaghira?”

“Mommy’s been gone a long time and I heard one of the servants say that Mommy was looking for something here. So, I came to find Mommy.”

“It’s dangerous out here, Kaghira. You should have brought someone who can fight come with you if you couldn’t wait at home.”

“But, none of the servants can come here.” I wrapped my arms around Link’s left arm and yawned again as I snuggled into him. He smelled nice and I was tired from teleporting and walking all night. “I just want my Mommy.”

I heard him sigh and smiled into his chest as he stroked my hair. As I felt sleep coming, I heard him humming a familiar lullaby. I liked Link, he made me feel less alone and safe, just like Mommy did.

The sun woke me up and I stretched as I yawned. I hadn’t had such a good night’s sleep since Mommy left the castle. Link made a comfy bed and was warm.

“Good morning, Kaghira. Did you sleep well, little one?” I looked up at Link, nodded and smiled.

“Morning, Link.” He chuckled when my stomach growled. I blushed a bit and gave him a hopeful look. “I’m hungry.”

“Well, I have some pumpkin bars that we can eat before we go look for your mother.” I bounced on his lap in excitement.

“You’ll help me find Mommy?!” He nodded and laughed as I squealed and hugged him. I was happy that I would have someone help me find Mommy and I liked Link. He was nice. “Thank you!”

“No problem, Kaghira.” He pulled out a few pumpkin bars and handed them to me before taking a few for himself. I had never had a pumpkin bar before, but it smelled yummy. “Do you know where your mother was heading?”

I shook my head as I stuffed half of a bar in my mouth. It was as yummy as it smelled. I heard Link chuckle as he patted my head. The next few minutes were spent in silence as we ate. Then Link stood up and set me on my feet before leading me to a small creek to wash up.

“What’s your mother’s name?” Link smiled as I tilted my head and thought about the strange question for a minute.

“Mommy’s name is Mommy.” I smiled as he chuckled and grabbed his hand as we started walking. “Do you think we’ll find Mommy today?”

“I don’t know, little one. But don’t worry, we’ll keep looking until we find your mother.”

“Ok!”

Link told me that we were in Faron Woods and told me about the different plants and animals as we walked. Link smiled a lot as we talked and looked around for Mommy. The first time we came across a Daku Baba was scary and I hid behind a bush as Link fought it. But it wasn’t long before I realized the plants things were even more stupid then the Bokoblins back home, so they weren’t so scary after all.

When the sun was at its highest, we stopped next to a stream and ate. I hummed happily as we watched squirrel things race around the trunks of trees. After traveling until the sun was starting to set, we still hadn’t found Mommy. Links sword spirt, Fi, hadn’t sensed any demonic energy at all. I was starting to get tired from all the walking and yawned while rubbing my eyes. Link sighed and picked me up.

“We’ll keep looking tomorrow, Kaghira. It’s getting late and there are no safe places to rest nearby.” I frowned and a tear slid down my cheek as I realized that I wasn’t going to see Mommy that day.

“I’m really tired and I miss my Mommy.” Link hugged me and kissed the top of my head.

“I know, little one. Don’t worry, we’ll find her. But we need to be well rested before we can continue looking.” He tilted my face up and smiled at me. “I’m going to take you home with me for tonight and we’ll come back in the morning to keep looking, ok?”

“But, you said there was nowhere nearby to rest.” I tilted my head and frowned. “So, how are we going to get to your home before it gets dark?”

“We’re going to fly.” He chuckled and whistled loudly. I was so confused about how we would fly. “You’re going to meet a good friend of mine, Crimson.”

A few seconds passed before a huge red and white bird with a big beak landed in front of us. I felt my eyes widen as the big bird ruffled his feathers before folding his large wings.

“That’s a big bird.” Link laughed before getting on Crimson, setting me in front of him, and holding me firmly to his chest.

“We’ll get to my home before you know it, little one.” With that, Crimson took off. I gasped as we left the ground. For a bit, I was scared, but then I laughed as my stomach settled and we flew up into the clouds.

We reached Link’s home just as the sun set. He picked me up and ran to the large wooden building near a huge stone statue of a winged woman. He dodged a few demonic remlits as we ran. Remlits were adorable during the day, but at night, their demonic traits took over and they would attack anyone who wasn’t a demon.

Once we arrived at the large building, Link grabbed one of his old tunics and lead me to the bathroom for a bath. The bathroom had several different stalls for privacy, so we were both able to get cleaned up at the same time. I loved bath time and giggled and splashed, just to hear Link laugh. I hadn’t had such a good day since Mommy left.

The next day, Link and I had breakfast in a big room with lots of other people. A tall man with blue eyes and brown hair who was wearing a yellow outfit that was a bit like Link’s sat with us. Link said his name was Pipet. I didn’t like the really tall man with the funny looking red hair and yellow eyes. He picked on Link so I kicked his shin. It was funny watching him hop around though Link said it wasn’t nice to kick people even if they were rude. Link said his name was Groose, but I called him Gross which caused Pipet to laugh and ruffle my hair.

After breakfast, we flew back to the woods on Crimson and started searching for Mommy again. Link introduced me to some Kikwis and asked the elder if he had seen any strangers lately, but he hadn’t. They were funny looking people that liked to pretend to be plants.

While we didn’t find Mommy before we had to go back to Skyloft, I did learn that there were Bokoblins here. I hid behind a tree when they showed up and I felt a little bad that Link had to kill them. But they attacked Link, so I didn’t mind too much. Besides, those were the stupid ones, not the generals so it wasn’t much of a loss.

I was sad that we didn’t find Mommy, so Link took me to the bazaar before it got dark. It was fun looking at all the different things and I got a gratitude tear for helping find a cat. I gave it to Link cause he was helping me look for Mommy.

Link bought me a slingshot and gave me a bag of seeds. We spent a couple hours before dinner playing with my new slingshot. Link said I was a good shot. After dinner, Link and I took baths and headed to bed. It was nice sleeping next to Link, he was warm.

Days passed as we looked for Mommy. Link and Fi-Fi were a lot of fun, but I was getting worried that we wouldn’t find Mommy. Each night I worried that something bad happened to Mommy, but Link said he was sure we would find Mommy soon. He would hum a familiar lullaby to me at night as I was falling asleep and I would dream of playing by the lake with Mommy and Link.

I hoped that Mommy and Link would be friends. I liked Link and Fi-Fi. They were my best friends.


	3. Chapter Three

Link’s POV

Kaghira and I searched for her mother for over a week without finding her. To keep her spirits up, we would spend the late afternoon and early evening exploring Skyloft and I bought her a slingshot so that she would have something to protect herself with as we searched. It only took her a couple of hours before she got the hang of it. Her aim was as good as mine and she rarely missed her target. She even took out a young Daku Baba with it when we were ambushed by five of them. I couldn’t have been prouder of her as she collected the red rupee it dropped.

On the ninth day of the search, right about the time we would usually return to Skyloft, Fi finally sensed a demonic signature and locked onto it. I was carrying Kaghira as I sprinted toward the signature. The poor little one was so tired, she fell asleep after five minutes.

I entered a clearing near the Skyview Temple and skidded to a stop as I saw who was there. There was no mistaking the tall, white-haired, red caped back of Ghirahim.

“Well, well, well. Sky child, it fills my heart with rainbows to feel your presence. However, I am a bit busy at the moment.” I started backing away, holding Kaghira tightly to me, as Ghirahim started to turn. “There is nothing I would love more than to hear your screams of agony as I peeled the skin from your flesh. Unfortunately, I’m looking for…”

I tilted my head as Ghirahim finished turning and saw his eyes widen. His face briefly lit up before he scowled at me. Kaghira yawned loudly as she woke up and I briefly glanced down at her before quickly setting her on her feet, pulling her behind me, and drawing my sword.

“Link, why’d we stop and why’d you pull your sword out? Did we run into Daku Babas again? Are close to where Fi-Fi sensed another demon?”

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH MY DAUGHTER?!” I jumped as Ghirahim screamed suddenly. “DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW IT MAKES ME FEEL INSIDE TO SEE MY ENEMY NEAR MY BABY?!”

“MOMMY!” Before I could stop her, Kaghira raced across the clearing and wrapped her arms around Ghirahim’s leg. “We found you!”

“Wait…mommy?” I frowned and lowered my sword slightly as Ghirahim picked Kaghira up and started planting kisses all over her face. She giggled as she wrapped her arms around his neck. “By all that’s holy, what is going on here? Why did Kaghira call you mommy? You’re a man.”

Ghirahim glared at me as he hugged Kaghira. She smiled at me as she rested her head on his shoulder.

“You Hylians.” He sneered at me before smiling down at the little girl in his arms. “You don’t even bother to learn anything about the people you hate.”

“What do you mean?” I raised a brow as he huffed and pouted.

“In most cases, a female demon will give birth. However, if a male’s Tamashī no hanryo happens to be another male, the higher-ranking demon, the dominate male, can impregnate the lower-ranking or submissive male. My Tamashī no hanryo was dominate and higher-ranking.” I was surprised to see a gentle yet sad look in his eyes.

“Was?” His eyes hardened for a moment before he sighed and gestured for me to sit down.

“I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to educate you, Sky child.” He laughed a bit as we both sat down on opposite sides of the small clearing. I kept my sword out and set her on my lap, ready to roll out of the way if he attacked. “Do put the sword away. I promise no harm will come to you this day.”

“Mommy, why are you so angry with Link? He helped me look for you for the last nine days.” Kaghira kissed his cheek and he smiled at her again as I slid my sword back in its sheath. It wasn’t the sadistic smile I had seen on his face when we battled but a gentle, sweet smile that made his already attractive face look positively gorgeous. If there was one thing I had learned about Ghirahim, it was that he kept his promises, which usually ended up with me being in pain.

When I had first met him, I had been awestruck by his beauty, though I refused to let him know that. I had been flustered when I realized that I was attracted not only to a man, but to my enemy. I had never been attracted to anyone before and it made it difficult to fight him, especially when he seemed to flirt with me in a rather creepy, sadistic way.

“Link keeps getting in the way of my mission, Kaghira. He’s the chosen Hero of Hylia, which makes him my enemy.” He sighed and kissed her forehead. “Though I do thank you for taking care of my Kaggy, Sky child. Until I resurrect my master, she’s all I have left.”

“She’s a sweetheart and I enjoyed her company.”

“We had a lot of fun, Mommy. I got to ride on a big bird and play with remlits before it got dark in Skyloft and Link bought me a slingshot and I killed a Daku Baba.” We both chuckled as Kaghira rambled on about how much fun she had for a while before Ghirahim placed one finger on her lips to quiet her.

“It’ll fill my heart with rainbows to hear all about it, but Mommy needs to explain things to Link before it gets too late. You should get some rest. It’s almost your bedtime.”

“Can you sing me that song again, Mommy? The one grandma used to sing to Daddy?” Ghirahim looked at me and I knew he was silently asking me if I would wait for my answers. I nodded and he gave me a small grateful smile before nodding back.

“Alright, princess. Now close your eyes.” She smiled and closed her eyes as he leaned back into the tree. My eyes widened when he began to sing, and not only because his voice was stunning, but because I knew the song though one word differed. After a few seconds, I closed my eyes and started singing along.

_“Little princess, so brave, so true,_

_Let your loving heart guide you._

_Through day and night,_

_Through glee and plight,_

_Little princess, keep your light._

_Though the winds may howl,_

_Though the lightning may strike,_

_Little princess, you shall make it through._

_The world may shatter,_

_The sky may fall,_

_Little princess, you shall survive it all._

_Little princess, so brave, so true,_

_Let your loving heart guide you._

_Through day and night,_

_Through glee and plight,_

_Little princess, keep your light._

_Danger may threaten,_

_Evil my spread,_

_Little princess, use your clever head._

_Wisdom beyond years,_

_Courage beyond tears,_

_Little princess, your strength is clear._

_Little princess, so brave, so true,_

_Let your loving heart guide you._

_Through day and night,_

_Through glee and plight,_

_Little princess, keep your light.”_

I opened my eyes as the song ended and saw a puzzled look on Ghirahim’s face. I tilted my head and chuckled as Kaghira giggled in her sleep.

“Sky child, where did you learn that song?” His voice was soft and hesitant, vastly different from his usual boisterous and flamboyant tone.

“I’m not sure. I think my mom used to sing it to me before she died, but I don’t remember for sure. My parents both died when I was very young. Lately, I’ve been hearing it in my dreams. Why do you ask?”

“There are only a few people who know that song. My Tamashī no hanryo’s mom wrote it for him. He taught it to me to sing for our child.” A single tear fell from his sorrowful obsidian eyes.

“Ghirahim, what happened to your Tamashī no hanryo?” I didn’t like seeing him sad. It didn’t suit him at all.

“What do you know about the war between my master and Hylia?” I shrugged and told him what I knew from our history books. That Demise wanted to destroy Hylia and her people so that he could rule the surface and that Hylia and her army defeated him, then sealed him, but the land was too dangerous for her people, so she created Skyloft for them. Ghirahim rolled his eyes and shook his head.

“Of course, history is written by the victors. The truth is, my master didn’t start this war. Hylia did when she sealed my master’s wife, the goddess Kalia, in order to take over her realm and gain access to a sacred object that was entrusted to Demise and Kalia. She sealed her own twin sister for the power to rule the demon realm and gain control of that object. Of course, to control our realm and the sacred object, she needed my master under her control and tried to trick him into breaking his vows to his wife and take her as his wife instead.”

“That can’t be true. Hylia is a kind and benevolent deity. She wouldn’t have sealed her sister without a good, just reason.” I frowned even as I defended my goddess. For some reason, the name Kalia sounded familiar and made my heart ache.

“Oh, it’s true, Sky child. Kalia and my master Demise just wanted to live in peace within our realm. Look at my little Kaghira, Hero. Is she evil? Has she caused any harm? Does she deserve to be wiped out just because she’s not one of Hylia’s people?” I shook my head and held a finger to my lips as his voice started to raise.

“Calm down, you’ll wake the little one up.” I smiled a bit as his face immediately softened when he looked at his daughter. “And to answer your question, no. Kaghira is a sweet, kind little girl, no more evil than any other child I’ve met. I don’t believe in judging an entire race on the actions of a few. If we weren’t fighting on opposite sides, Ghirahim, I think we would have been friends.”

“What? Why would you say that?” I chuckled as he tilted his head. He looked almost as adorable as Kaghira in that moment. I shook my head at the thought.

“As much as it’s a pain, literally, to fight you, you are an honorable opponent. You’re also fun to watch. Your flamboyance makes the brief talks we have before fighting interesting, though it’s a bit disturbing when you go into detail on how you’re going to beat me within an inch of my life and how if fills your heart with rainbows to hear my agonized screams.” He shrugged as he chuckled.

“Sky child, making your enemy uneasy throws them off balance and gives you an advantage. When you’ve lived as long as I have, you learn quite a few tricks, though you seem to shrug them off well enough. You really have grown stronger.” I grinned and leaned back against the tree.

“You’re still the toughest opponent I’ve come across. Don’t think I believe that you’ve really fought with your full strength, Ghirahim. I can tell you’ve been going easy on me, even when you leave me half dead.”

“Oh, I haven’t held back all that much.” He grinned. “You may even be able to handle my full power soon. But enough flattery, back to the topic.”

“There had to be some misunderstanding that caused the sealing of Kalia and this war between us if Demise really didn’t want to fight.”

“Oh, sealing Kalia wasn’t the only thing that Hylia did. When Demise refused her, she offered to meet my Tamashī no hanryo in negotiations. It was just days before Kaghira was born when my prince, my husband, Karayan rode off to meet with Hylia. Demise and I both tried to talk his son out of going, but Karayan couldn’t bear the loss of his Mom. We don’t know what happened to him. A week after he left, his horse came back without him.” My heart ached for the pain and sorrow in Ghirahim’s eyes. The name Karayan also sounded familiar, like Kalia’s. “There was a message with the horse. All it said was that Karayan was forever beyond our reach and would remain so until Demise broke his ties to Kalia, married her and turned over his realm.”

“That’s terrible. I just can’t imagine Hylia doing something like this. Are you sure the message was from her and not someone else who wanted to stir up trouble?” He shook his head and sighed.

“It held her signet seal. There is no one who is able to duplicate a goddess’s signet seal. When my master is resurrected, we’ll be able to find out where Karayan is and release Kalia from her prison.”

“Well that explains why you’re so determined to resurrect Demise, and I can certainly understand your reasons.” I sighed and shook my head. “I don’t know what to think right now, Ghirahim. If what you said is true, then my goddess has done you a grave injustice.”

“Oh, and you care about justice, Sky child?”

“Of course I do.” I raised a brow at him as he frowned. “Ghirahim, the whole reason I am fighting is because you’re trying to capture my childhood friend. I don’t even know why you want her or what you plan on doing to her, but she’s my friend.”

“So, the Spirit Maiden and the Goddess’s guard dog still haven’t told you.” Ghirahim chuckled and shook his head. “Poor Sky child. They use you like a pawn and don’t tell you anything.”

“What do you mean? How is Zelda using me?” I frowned as he smirked.

“Your pretty little friend is the vessel which contains the immortal soul of Hylia. She’s using you, tricking you into protecting her and helping her destroy my master.” I shook my head at the thought of Zelda being Hylia. “Hylia would rather destroy my master than to let anyone else have control of our sacred object.”

“That’s not possible. Zelda can’t possibly be Hylia.”

“Oh, but it is. While Hylia was able to seal my master, it cost her immortal body to do so. She used the Gate of Time to go forward in time and took over the body of the new born Zelda. As for what I plan to do, I need her in order to release the seal on my master. Once he consumes her soul, he will be able to release our goddess and find my Tamashī no hanryo. We will get back what that bitch stole from us.”

“What about Zelda? Is her soul still there?”

“Hylia devoured the girl’s soul when she took over her body. Zelda ceased to exist just hours after she was born.” I sighed and shook my head again.

“I don’t know what to believe, Ghirahim. I need to think on this, but not now. It’s too much to take in right now.” He nodded and brushed some hair out of Kaghira’s face as she snuggled closer to his chest. “How you act with Kaghira is adorable.”

“She’s the light of my life, and the only one left besides Karayan and myself who can access and use what Hylia wants. Only those of the royal family know where it is and how to use it. I’m just glad that Hylia didn’t know of her or of my marriage to Karayan.”

“Well, she won’t find out from me, I promise. If everything you said is true, then I can only imagine what Hylia would do to Kaghira or you to get what she wants. I won’t ask what it is either.” Ghirahim’s smile was one of thanks and gratitude and it was so beautiful that my heart flipped at the sight of it.

“Thank you, Link.”

“No problem. So, tell me about Karayan? What’s he like?” I could practically see stars in his eyes as he blushed slightly.

“You remind me a little of him, actually. He’s taller than me, but just as broad shouldered as you are, his skin was slightly lighter than yours, his ears were longer, and he has midnight blue scales that cover his forearms that are as strong, if not stronger, than your shield. He also has sharp canine teeth and clawed fingers. He has sky blue, draconic eyes and long, golden hair that reaches his waist.” Ghirahim sighed and blushed harder. “What that man can do with his fangs and claws.”

“Ok, I don’t need to know what he can do with those.” My brow twitched as he grinned at me. “What about his personality?”

“Much like yours really. Like I said, you remind me of him. He is very loyal, brave, honorable, and loving. He’s a skilled fighter and quickly picks up on how to use new weapons. He’s clever too. Demise and Kalia were always so proud that he could solve any puzzle, riddle, and detect traps and defuse them with ease.” Ghirahim sighed and smiled softly. “He is an amazing warrior, but he hates fighting. He’d rather relax by the lake and play his flute, harp or ocarina for me, read a book out loud to me, or just cuddle and talk. He has such a sweet, gentle soul. I’ve missed him so much.”

I felt my heart clench as tears started streaking down his face. It was obvious that Ghirahim loved Karayan, and that’s when I realized that this obsession of his with resurrecting his master, his father-in-law, was all in the hopes of being reunited with his Tamashī no hanryo, his other half. Even if we were enemies, though I wasn’t so sure we were anymore, I couldn’t stand seeing him in pain. Since I didn’t want to startle him or make him nervous, I slowly crawled over to his side leaned against him.

“It’ll be alright, Ghirahim. I’ll see what I can find out about Karayan. I don’t know if there are any records about him, but I can check the archives in Skyloft. Maybe I’ll be able to tell you what happened to him.” I smiled up at him as his eyes widened. His white lips trembled a bit as more tears fell. In the fading light, those tears sparkled like diamonds. “Don’t cry, Diamond Prince, your eyes will get puffy and you’ll be less fabulous than usual.”

He gave a surprised laugh before wiping the tears off his face.

“You’re so much like Karayan, Sky child. He calls me Diamond Prince to cheer me up.” I smiled and shook my head at the coincidence. “I used to call him Sky child due to his eyes and the way his head was always in the clouds. I suppose that’s why I enjoy teasing you so much, Link. You react a lot like Karayan does when he’s annoyed.”

“Well, I guess I don’t mind the nickname so much then. Tell you what, Ghirahim. Let’s call a truce. Instead of fighting, when we meet up, let’s just spar. Winner of the sparring match gets to move on to wherever Zelda leads us first. Of course, I would love to visit with Kaghira too. I’ve gotten attached to her over the last nine days.” I held my hand out to him and waited as he thought. Finally, he clasped my hand and nodded.

“Truce then. Would you mind keeping an eye on Kaghira at night? I know that she’s not going to go back home quietly and I can’t trust those servants to keep her there. Honestly, some demons are useless. They can’t even keep one little girl in the palace and away from the portal to the surface. Good help is so hard to find.” I laughed as Ghirahim started rambling on. After about ten minutes, he huffed and pouted before falling silent.

“Kaghira can spend her nights with me. I don’t mind at all. I take it that you go back to the demon realm at night?”

“Actually, I’ve been staying on the surface. Time flows differently in the demon realm and I can’t afford to lose track of time.”

“Time is different there?”

“Our days are longer, so a day there is about four days here. I don’t think that time itself is different, just how it’s measured. It’s easy to lose track of how long you’ve been there and how many days have passed here.”

“So, where have you been staying?”

“Oh, I’ve just been sleeping in trees or empty caves. Not that there are many creatures that bother me, but those Daku Babas are rather annoying when they try to eat you at night.” I sighed and shook my head.

“I can’t believe I’m saying this.” He tilted his head in confusion. “You and Kaghira can both stay with me in my room. But I want you to promise me that you won’t go anywhere else up there without me. I don’t talk about my travels much, so you shouldn’t be recognized, but I don’t want to take the chance that something will happen.”

“Sky child, why would make such an offer?” The surprised look on Ghirahim’s face made me smile. It wasn’t often that I saw that look.

“We have a truce. Besides, Kaghira misses you a lot when you’re gone. This way, she’ll have her mommy with her every night. Just because we aren’t on the same side, doesn’t mean that we can’t get along.” I laughed a bit and laid my hand on his shoulder. “Plus, I want to know more about demons. If there’s a way for us to live in peace with each other, that’s the future I want to build.”

“I suppose that would be agreeable. I have missed holding Kaggy while we sleep. You have my word that I will not go anywhere without you while I am staying with you.” I gently squeezed his shoulder before standing up.

“Then let’s go. It’s late and I could use a bath before bed.”

“So, could I. Oh, it will fill my heart with rainbows to have a hot bath again. All this traveling has been positively dreadful. Do you know how hard it is to look this fabulous and perfect when white is so easily stained? I have to renew the spell to keep my clothes clean every two days.”

“That’s why I don’t wear white.” I smirked as I watched Ghirahim stand up. Every move he made was graceful and fluid. “Green doesn’t show wear and tear as much as white and grass stains don’t show up.”

“It doesn’t look bad on you either, though I think blue, red, and violet are more your colors.”

“It’s what I was given. There isn’t a lot of variation in knights’ uniforms.” I shrugged as we headed for a larger clearing so I could call Crimson. “It’s not my favorite color, but it’s better than brown, orange or yellow.”

During the flight, Ghirahim told me about how he had meet Karayan and described their lake where they would spend time alone together. It had sent a shiver down my spine as he described the ball that had been held in the hopes that Karayan would find someone to marry. His stories were almost identical to some of the dreams I had over the last nine days.

After flying home, cleaning up and a short argument about the sleeping arrangement, Ghirahim and Kaghira fell asleep in my bed. I wasn’t about to let my guests take the floor, besides, I was used to sleeping on worse surfaces than the floor of my dorm room. Once I was sure that Ghirahim and Kaghira were both asleep, I grabbed my sword and headed out to the Goddess statue.

“Fi.” I smiled as Fi appeared. “How much of Ghirahim’s story was true?”

“I cannot say from experience, Master. I was created shortly before Hylia sealed Demise. However, I sensed no falsehoods in him when you spoke. There is a 98 percent chance that Ghirahim has told the truth as he knows it.” I sighed and nodded.

“This makes no sense. Why would Zelda…Hylia lie to me? How can I trust anything she says? There is nothing noble or honorable in tearing a family who posed no threat apart.” I pulled my hat off and ran a hand through my hair. “If she lied about this, what else has she been lying about? And those dreams I’ve been having, are they Karayan’s memories? If so, why am I seeing them in my dreams.”

“I do not know, Master. However, I would advise caution when you next meet Zelda. It would not be advisable to let her know of your doubts or the dreams you have had.” Fi hesitated for a moment, which was uncharacteristic for her. “Hylia created me to be loyal to her chosen hero, which is you. No matter what you chose to do, I will remain loyal to you, Master.”

“Thanks, Fi.” I smiled and patted her shoulder. “At least I know I can count on you.”

“It would be best for you to rest now, Master.” I nodded and she returned to my sword. I spent a few more minutes sitting by the goddess statue before heading back to my room. I took one last look at Ghirahim and Kaghira before stretching out on the floor and closing my eyes. My heart clenched with a bit of envy and wistfulness. Karayan was a lucky demon to have such a loyal Tamashī no hanryo and beautiful daughter. I only hoped that I could be so lucky someday.


	4. Chapter Four

Ghirahim’s POV

Ever since I had plucked the Spirit Maiden from the sky, I was met with one frustration after another. I thought it would be easy to resurrect my master, but the Goddess’s guard dog and her hero kept interfering. I had hoped to be back home with my Tamashī no hanryo and daughter by now.

The only thing that kept me from completely blowing my top was the Sky Child, Link. Even though he was my enemy, he reminded me of my darling Karayan. Their temperaments and personalities were very similar, which made it difficult to harm the boy, though I found annoying and teasing him humorous. His reactions were quite like Karayan’s as well.

Link being so much like Karayan was both comforting and discomforting at the same time. It was nice to have some fun and to relieve some of my frustration, but at the same time, it was upsetting to find that I liked the boy. He made me miss my Tamashī no hanryo even more.

I had been chasing the Spirit Maiden for months with no success, but my hunt for her was pushed to the background when General Porcini reported that Kaghira was missing. I was furious and frantic when I heard that my precious baby girl was gone and the servants couldn’t find her. I knew that I had been gone for a long time and it filled my heart with rainclouds to leave my baby girl, my sweet little Kaggy, behind. However, it was too dangerous to bring her along with me so I had no choice but to leave her in the care of the servants.

I spent a couple of days in the demon realm searching the forests around the castle with no luck. It wasn’t until I went to Lake Kalia that I found her trail. I lost the trail at the gate to the surface and nearly panicked at the thought of my sweet Kaggy lost on the surface. She could have been eaten by a Walltula or a Daku Baba. She could have fallen off a cliff or drowned or a hundred other things could have happened to my baby.

I searched all around the gate on the surface but there was nothing I could find to point me in the right direction. I checked most of Faron Woods and found nothing. It was late in the afternoon when I reached Skyview Temple, the only place I in the woods I hadn’t checked yet. I was about to enter the temple when I felt a familiar presence behind me.

“Well, well, well. Sky child, it fills my heart with rainbows to feel your presence. However, I am a bit busy at the moment.” I turned to face Link. “There is nothing I would love more than to hear your screams of agony as I peeled the skin from your flesh. Unfortunately, I’m looking for…”

My heart about stopped when I saw my little Kaggy sleeping in Link’s arms. I scowled as my heart filled with outrage that my enemy had me daughter. Kaghira yawned loudly as she woke up and he briefly glanced down at her before quickly setting her on her feet, pulling her behind him, and drawing his sword.

“Link, why’d we stop and why’d you pull your sword out? Did we run into Daku Babas again? Are close to where Fi-Fi sensed another demon?”

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH MY DAUGHTER?!” I didn’t know what he had planned for my baby but I feared for her. I needed to get Kaghira away from him. “DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW IT MAKES ME FEEL INSIDE TO SEE MY ENEMY NEAR MY BABY?!”

“MOMMY!” I almost sighed as Kaghira raced across the clearing and wrapped her arms around my leg. “We found you!”

“Wait…mommy?” I saw Link frown and lower my sword slightly as I picked Kaghira up and started planting kisses all over her face. She giggled as she wrapped her arms around my neck. Oh, how I had missed my sweet baby girl. “By all that’s holy, what is going on here? Why did Kaghira call you mommy? You’re a man.”

I glared at Link as I hugged Kaghira. I was puzzled when she smiled at Link before she rested her head on my shoulder. It warmed my heart to have my baby back in my arms.

“You Hylians.” I sneered at Link before smiling down at my little Kaggy. “You don’t even bother to learn anything about the people you hate.”

“What do you mean?” I huffed and pouted at the ignorant boy’s question.

“In most cases, a female demon will give birth. However, if a male’s Tamashī no hanryo happens to be another male, the higher-ranking demon, the dominate male, can impregnate the lower-ranking or submissive male. My Tamashī no hanryo was dominate and higher-ranking.” I was surprised to see a gentle yet sad look in his eyes.

“Was?” My heart clenched at the pain that one word caused before I sighed and gestured for him to sit down.

“I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to educate you, Sky child.” I laughed a bit as we both sat down on opposite sides of the small clearing. He kept his sword out and set it on his lap. I wasn’t surprised to see that he was still prepared to fight. “Do put the sword away. I promise no harm will come to you this day.”

“Mommy, why are you so angry with Link? He helped me look for you for the last nine days.” Kaghira kissed my cheek and I smiled at her again as Link slid his sword back in its sheath.

“Link keeps getting in the way of my mission, Kaghira. He’s the chosen Hero of Hylia, which makes him my enemy.” I sighed and kissed her forehead. I didn’t really want to fight the boy, but I needed to bring my master, my Tamashī no hanryo, and Kalia back. I couldn’t have the boy getting in my way all the time, though I couldn’t bring myself to hate him either. Especially since he’d been taking care of my baby for me. “Though I do thank you for taking care of my Kaggy, Sky child. Until I resurrect my master, she’s all I have left.”

“She’s a sweetheart and I enjoyed her company.” I smiled a bit at his reply. Who wouldn’t enjoy my precious baby’s company. She was such a sweet, innocent, loving little girl.

“We had a lot of fun, Mommy. I got to ride on a big bird and play with remlits before it got dark in Skyloft and Link bought me a slingshot and I killed a Daku Baba.” We both chuckled as Kaghira rambled on about how much fun she had for a while before I placed one finger on her lips to quiet her.

“It’ll fill my heart with rainbows to hear all about it, but Mommy needs to explain things to Link before it gets too late. You should get some rest. It’s almost your bedtime.”

“Can you sing me that song again, Mommy? The one grandma used to sing to daddy?” I looked at Link, silently asking him if he would wait for answers. I gave him a small grateful smile as he nodded before nodding back. While there were times when he was terribly rude, I knew that he was just like that with me since we were enemies.

“Alright, princess. Now close your eyes.” She smiled and closed her eyes as I leaned back into the tree. I smiled down at Kaggy before I started singing the lullaby that Karayan had taught me. After a few seconds, Link joined in and I was shocked. His singing voice was quite like Karayan’s, deeper than I would have thought and perfectly pitched.

_“Little princess, so brave, so true,_

_Let your loving heart guide you._

_Through day and night,_

_Through glee and plight,_

_Little princess, keep your light._

_Though the winds may howl,_

_Though the lightning may strike,_

_Little princess, you shall make it through._

_The world may shatter,_

_The sky may fall,_

_Little princess, you shall survive it all._

_Little princess, so brave, so true,_

_Let your loving heart guide you._

_Through day and night,_

_Through glee and plight,_

_Little princess, keep your light._

_Danger may threaten,_

_Evil my spread,_

_Little princess, use your clever head._

_Wisdom beyond years,_

_Courage beyond tears,_

_Little princess, your strength is clear._

_Little princess, so brave, so true,_

_Let your loving heart guide you._

_Through day and night,_

_Through glee and plight,_

_Little princess, keep your light.”_

Link opened his eyes as the song ended, tilted his head and chuckled as Kaghira giggled in her sleep. I couldn’t imagine where the boy had learned this song as only my Tamashī no hanryo, Kalia and I were supposed to know it. 

“Sky child, where did you learn that song?” I kept my voice was soft as I didn’t want to wake Kaghira up.

“I’m not sure. I think my mom used to sing it to me before she died, but I don’t remember for sure. My parents both died when I was very young. Lately, I’ve been hearing it in my dreams. Why do you ask?”

“There are only a few people who know that song. My Tamashī no hanryo’s mom wrote it for him. He taught it to me to sing for our child.” I felt a tear run down my cheek as I thought of Karayan. I missed him so much.

“Ghirahim, what happened to your Tamashī no hanryo?”

“What do you know about the war between my master and Hylia?” I rolled my eyes and shook my head as he spouted out a bunch of nonsense. I felt sorry for the boy, knowing that he was being used as a pawn by that selfish bitch, Hylia.

“Of course, history is written by the victors. The truth is, my master didn’t start this war. Hylia did when she sealed my master’s wife, the goddess Kalia, in order to take over her realm and gain access to a sacred object that was entrusted to Demise and Kalia. She sealed her own twin sister for the power to rule the demon realm and gain control of that object. Of course, to control our realm and the sacred object, she needed my master under her control and tried to trick him into breaking his vows to his wife and take her as his wife instead.”

“That can’t be true. Hylia is a kind and benevolent deity. She wouldn’t have sealed her sister without a good, just reason.” He frowned as he defended his goddess. I could understand his hesitation, it wasn’t often that you find out that everything you’ve been taught is a lie.

“Oh, it’s true, Sky child. Kalia and my master, Demise just wanted to live in peace within our realm. Look at my little Kaghira, Hero. Is she evil? Has she caused any harm? Does she deserve to be wiped out just because she’s not one of Hylia’s people?” I felt sick to my stomach at the thought of my precious baby being killed. Link shook his head and held a finger to his lips and I realized that I was being too loud.

“Calm down, you’ll wake the little one up.” I gazed down at Kaggy to make sure that she was still asleep. I couldn’t help smiling at the peaceful look on her beautiful little face. “And to answer your question, no. Kaghira is a sweet, kind little girl, no more evil than any other child I’ve met. I don’t believe in judging an entire race on the actions of a few. If we weren’t fighting on opposite sides, Ghirahim, I think we would have been friends.”

“What? Why would you say that?” He chuckled as I tilted my head. I liked the sound of his laughter, it was something I hadn’t heard before but it warmed my heart to hear it.

“As much as it’s a pain, literally, to fight you, you are an honorable opponent. You’re also fun to watch. Your flamboyance makes the brief talks we have before fighting interesting, though it’s a bit disturbing when you go into detail on how you’re going to beat me within an inch of my life and how if fills your heart with rainbows to hear my agonized screams.” I shrugged as I chuckled at the memories of our past battles. His reactions were priceless.

“Sky child, making your enemy uneasy throws them off balance and gives you an advantage. When you’ve lived as long as I have, you learn quite a few tricks, though you seem to shrug them off well enough. You really have grown stronger.” He grinned and leaned back against the tree.

“You’re still the toughest opponent I’ve come across. Don’t think I believe that you’ve really fought with your full strength, Ghirahim. I can tell you’ve been going easy on me, even when you leave me half dead.”

“Oh, I haven’t held back all that much.” I grinned. In truth, I hadn’t been holding back at all except when I had the opportunity to kill him. For some reason, I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. “You may even be able to handle my full power soon. But enough flattery, back to the topic.”

“There had to be some misunderstanding that caused the sealing of Kalia and this war between us if Demise really didn’t want to fight.”

“Oh, sealing Kalia wasn’t the only thing that Hylia did. When Demise refused her, she offered to meet my Tamashī no hanryo in negotiations. It was just days before Kaghira was born when my prince, my husband, Karayan rode off to meet with Hylia. Demise and I both tried to talk his son out of going, but Karayan couldn’t bear the loss of his Mom. We don’t know what happened to him. A week after he left, his horse came back without him.” My heart clenched as I thought about my Tamashī no hanryo leaving and not returning. “There was a message with the horse. All it said was that Karayan was forever beyond our reach and would remain so until Demise broke his ties to Kalia, married her and turned over his realm.”

“That’s terrible. I just can’t imagine Hylia doing something like this. Are you sure the message was from her and not someone else who wanted to stir up trouble?” I shook my head and sighed as he tried to find a different explanation.

“It held her signet seal. There is no one who is able to duplicate a goddess’s signet seal. When my master is resurrected, we’ll be able to find out where Karayan is and release Kalia from her prison.”

“Well that explains why you’re so determined to resurrect Demise, and I can certainly understand your reasons.” He sighed and shook his head. “I don’t know what to think right now, Ghirahim. If what you said is true, then my goddess has done you a grave injustice.”

“Oh, and you care about justice, Sky child?”

“Of course I do.” I frowned, I realized that I didn’t know as much about the boy as I thought I did. “Ghirahim, the whole reason I am fighting is because you’re trying to capture my childhood friend. I don’t even know why you want her or what you plan on doing to her, but she’s my friend.”

“So, the Spirit Maiden and the Goddess’s guard dog still haven’t told you.” I chuckled and shook my head as I realized that he was doing the same thing that Karayan would have in his place. The same thing I would have done. It saddened me to see the boy manipulated by that selfish goddess. I couldn’t let this continue. “Poor Sky child. They use you like a pawn and don’t tell you anything.”

“What do you mean? How is Zelda using me?” He frowned as I smirked. His little girlfriend was not going to be happy that I told him.

“Your pretty little friend is the vessel which contains the immortal soul of Hylia. She’s using you, tricking you into protecting her and helping her destroy my master.” He shook his head and I almost sighed. “Hylia would rather destroy my master than to let anyone else have control of our sacred object.”

“That’s not possible. Zelda can’t possibly be Hylia.”

“Oh, but it is. While Hylia was able to seal my master, it cost her immortal body to do so. She used the Gate of Time to go forward in time and took over the body of the new born Zelda. As for what I plan to do, I need her in order to release the seal on my master. Once he consumes her soul, he will be able to release our goddess and find my Tamashī no hanryo. We will get back what that bitch stole from us.”

“What about Zelda? Is her soul still there?”

“Hylia devoured the girl’s soul when she took over her body. Zelda ceased to exist just hours after she was born.” I was sorry for the confused boy.  

“I don’t know what to believe, Ghirahim. I need to think on this, but not now. It’s too much to take in right now.” I nodded and brushed some hair out of Kaghira’s face as she snuggled into me. “How you act with Kaghira is adorable.”

“She’s the light of my life, and the only one left besides Karayan and myself who can access and use what Hylia wants. Only those of the royal family know where it is and how to use it. I’m just glad that Hylia didn’t know of her or of my marriage to Karayan.”

“Well, she won’t find out from me, I promise. If everything you said is true, then I can only imagine what Hylia would do to Kaghira or you to get what she wants. I won’t ask what it is either.” I smiled, delighted to hear that he would put my baby’s safety before his goddess.

“Thank you, Link.”

“No problem. So, tell me about Karayan? What’s he like?” I felt a blush spread across my face as I thought about my Tamashī no hanryo.  

“You remind me a little of him, actually. He’s taller than me, but just as broad shouldered as you are, his skin was slightly lighter than yours, his ears were longer, and he has midnight blue scales that cover his forearms that are as strong, if not stronger, than your shield. He also has sharp canine teeth and clawed fingers. He has sky blue, draconic eyes and long, golden hair that reaches his waist.” I sighed and my face grew hotter as I thought about the first time Karayan had made love to me. Karayan was insatiable and we hadn’t fallen asleep until just before sunrise. “What that man can do with his fangs and claws.”

“Ok, I don’t need to know what he can do with those.” Link’s brow twitched as I grinned at him. I could tell he was a bit uncomfortable with the topic. “What about his personality?”

“Much like yours really. Like I said, you remind me of him. He is very loyal, brave, honorable, and loving. He’s a skilled fighter and quickly picks up on how to use new weapons. He’s clever too. Demise and Kalia were always so proud that he could solve any puzzle, riddle, and detect traps and defuse them with ease.” I sighed and smiled softly as I thought about how gentle my warrior love was. “He is an amazing warrior, but he hates fighting. He’d rather relax by the lake and play his flute, harp or ocarina for me, read a book out loud to me, or just cuddle and talk. He has such a sweet, gentle soul. I’ve missed him so much.”

My heart clenched and I started crying as I thought of never seeing my Karayan again. I thought of our daughter never getting to meet her daddy and how I would never feel his strong arms around me again. It felt like my heart was being torn to pieces at the thought. I was grateful and surprised when Link crawled over and leaned his side against mine.

“It’ll be alright, Ghirahim. I’ll see what I can find out about Karayan. I don’t know if there are any records about him, but I can check the archives in Skyloft. Maybe I’ll be able to tell you what happened to him.” He smiled up at me. My lips trembled a bit as more tears fell. I wouldn’t have thought that the boy who had been a thorn in my side would try to comfort me. It was then that I knew I would never be able to kill the boy, even if he did keep getting in my way. He was just too much like Karayan. “Don’t cry, Diamond Prince, your eyes will get puffy and you’ll be less fabulous than usual.”

I laughed in surprise and wiped the tears from my cheeks. It had been centuries since I had heard that name.

“You’re so much like Karayan, Sky child. He calls me Diamond Prince to cheer me up.” He smiled and shook his head. I chuckled a bit. “I used to call him Sky child due to his eyes and the way his head was always in the clouds. I suppose that’s why I enjoy teasing you so much, Link. You react a lot like Karayan does when he’s annoyed.”

“Well, I guess I don’t mind the nickname so much then. Tell you what, Ghirahim. Let’s call a truce. Instead of fighting, when we meet up, let’s just spar. Winner of the sparring match gets to move on to wherever Zelda leads us first. Of course, I would love to visit with Kaghira too. I’ve gotten attached to her over the last nine days.” He held his hand out to me and waited as I thought about his proposal. I knew that he would honor his promise, but I wasn’t sure if it would be a good thing for either of us. We were still on opposite sides of this conflict. Finally, I clasped his hand and nodded. I would rather be friends with the boy than enemies, and it would break Kaghira’s heart if anything happened to her new friend.

“Truce then. Would you mind keeping an eye on Kaghira at night? I know that she’s not going to go back home quietly and I can’t trust those servants to keep her there. Honestly, some demons are useless. They can’t even keep one little girl in the palace and away from the portal to the surface. Good help is so hard to find.” Link laughed as I started muttering about the servants and guards. I rambled on for a good ten minutes before I sighed and fell quiet.

“Kaghira can spend her nights with me. I don’t mind at all. I take it that you go back to the demon realm at night?”

“Actually, I’ve been staying on the surface. Time flows differently in the demon realm and I can’t afford to lose track of time.”

“Time is different there?”

“Our days are longer, so a day there is about four days here. I don’t think that time itself is different, just how it’s measured. It’s easy to lose track of how long you’ve been there and how many days have passed here.”

“So, where have you been staying?”

“Oh, I’ve just been sleeping in trees or empty caves. Not that there are many creatures that bother me, but those Daku Babas are rather annoying when they try to eat you at night.” He sighed and shook his head.

“I can’t believe I’m saying this.” I tilted my head as I wondered what he was talking about. “You and Kaghira can both stay with me in my room. But I want you to promise me that you won’t go anywhere else up there without me. I don’t talk about my travels much, so you shouldn’t be recognized, but I don’t want to take the chance that something will happen.”

“Sky child, why would make such an offer?” I was shocked that he would make such an offer. The boy was much too kind for his own good. Had I not been an honorable demon, he could have been in a lot of danger.

“We have a truce. Besides, Kaghira misses you a lot when you’re gone. This way, she’ll have her mommy with her every night. Just because we aren’t on the same side, doesn’t mean that we can’t get along.” He laughed a bit and laid his hand on my shoulder. “Plus, I want to know more about demons. If there’s a way for us to live in peace with each other, that’s the future I want to build.”

“I suppose that would be agreeable. I have missed holding Kaggy while we sleep. You have my word that I will not go anywhere without you while I am staying with you.” He gently squeezed my shoulder before standing up.

“Then let’s go. It’s late and I could use a bath before bed.”

“So, could I. Oh, it will fill my heart with rainbows to have a hot bath again. All this traveling has been positively dreadful. Do you know how hard it is to look this fabulous and perfect when white is so easily stained? I have to renew the spell to keep my clothes clean every two days.”

“That’s why I don’t wear white.” He smirked as I stood up and I wondered what he was thinking. “Green doesn’t show wear and tear as much as white and grass stains don’t show up.”

“It doesn’t look bad on you either, though I think blue, red, and violet are more your colors.”

“It’s what I was given. There isn’t a lot of variation in knights’ uniforms.” He shrugged as we headed for a larger clearing where he whistled loudly, calling his Loftwing. “It’s not my favorite color, but it’s better than brown, orange or yellow.”

During the flight, I told Link about how I had meet Karayan and described our lake where we would spend time alone together. It had been so long since I had someone else to talk with about Karayan.

After we arrived at Link’s home and cleaned up, Link insisted that Kaghira and I take his bed. I tried to tell him that I would be fine on the floor, but Link was too chivalrous to allow it. I felt bad that he was forced to sleep on the floor. However, he assured me that he had slept in worse places.

That was the first night in a long time that I slept well. It almost fell like I was home with my family again.


	5. Chapter Five

Link’s POV

Months passed and while Ghirahim and I both chased after Zelda, we kept our truce. It was actually fun sparring with him, knowing that he wasn’t really trying to kill me. We had searched through the archives with no luck in finding anything out about Karayan or Kalia, but then, we hadn’t really thought we would find anything.

I asked Pipit to watch out for Kaghira for us during the day, though that arrangement only lasted a couple of weeks. By the end of the second week, Ghirahim decided to keep her with him while he searched for Zelda. Due to the truce, we agreed not to talk about the leads we had or our missions, though we often talked about our lives. Eventually, our sparring sessions became weapons training for Kaghira. Ghirahim and I both presented her with a short sword when she became accustom to using two wooden practice swords.

The sword I gave her was a custom ordered blade. Its blade had a blue tint to the steel and a golden sun was etched into the blade by the hilt. The cross guard was the same blue tinted steel and slightly curved back towards the hilt. The hilt was wrapped with green and white leather and the golden pommel had a heart-shaped green gem embedded in it. The sheath was black with a blue steel locket and chape.

Ghirahim gave her a sword that was the same size and shape, but the blade was black with a white full moon etched in it. The cross guard was also black and the hilt was wrapped with red and white leather. The silver pommel held a black heart-shaped gem and the sheath was white with a black locket and chape. Kaghira was thrilled with her swords and was very diligent with her practice.

As the months passed, the dreams continued to come and both Fi and I were sure that I was seeing Karayan’s memories. There were some memories that I wish I didn’t receive though. It was rather embarrassing to wake up in the middle of the night having dreamt of making love to the person currently sleeping in your bed, who also happened to be married and deeply in love with his other half, his Tamashī no hanryo. After all the time we spent together, I could see why Karayan was so in love with Ghirahim. The man was stunning, energetic, funny, witty, and absolutely loyal to those he loved.

At one point, I had caught up to Zelda and some red eyed woman, Impa, only to have Ghirahim show up and try to catch Zelda again. Impa and Zelda escaped through the Gate of Time, and Impa blew it up so that Ghirahim couldn’t follow. Luckily, Zelda was able to give me her harp and told me to see the old woman again.

After seeing the old woman and resealing the imprisoned, I was told I had to purify my sword with sacred flames. I felt bad about resealing the imprisoned, but I had no choice. I still didn’t know the whole truth about the war.

The trials that followed were long, painful, and frustrating. I didn’t see Ghirahim much except for at night, so it was kind of boring too. I knew that Ghirahim was searching for the other Gate of Time I was working on activating, but even when he found the engravings that told him about the second gate, I refused to tell him where it was. I knew it frustrated him and I apologized but explained that until I had a chance to talk with Zelda, I couldn’t break my promise to protect her.

I hated disappointing him, but he understood and after a few hours of sparring, his frustration was dispelled and he went in search of the second Gate of Time. By the time I had activated the second Gate of Time, I had enough of Karayan’s memories that I was almost positive that Ghirahim had told me nothing more or less than the truth. However, I had to give Zelda a chance to tell me the truth.

Before I headed back to the second Gate of Time, I asked Fi to monitor Zelda for falsehoods. It pained me to think that she would lie to me, but I had to know. When I was finally reunited with my childhood friend, she confirmed Ghirahim’s claim that she was using me and that she was, in fact, Hylia reborn in a mortal body. She told me about how she had fought the evil Demon King, Demise who wanted to destroy all life on the surface and claim the Triforce so that he could rule over both realms. She said she knew that I would rush into any danger for my childhood friend, Zelda and she apologized for the trouble she put me through.

Then she asked me to recover the Triforce and use it to destroy Demise. After she made this request, she trapped herself in a crystal to sleep and keep Demise sealed. Her last request before she fell under her enchanted sleep was to wake her in our time. I nodded as she smiled at me one more time. I headed back through the Gate of Time and headed back to my room to talk with Fi.

“Master, I am sorry to say that Hylia lied quite a few times during your discussion. First, she lied about Demise’s reason for fighting as well as him being evil. She also lied about his desire to destroy all life on the surface so that he could rule over both realms. His quest for the Triforce was also a lie. Her apology was a lie as well.” I sighed and slumped back in my chair. “But the most confusing thing she lied about was you and Zelda being childhood friends.”

“Wait, how could that be a lie? Did she never think of me as a friend?”

“I am not sure, Master. However, she did not lie about needing you to use the Triforce to wish for Demise’s destruction. With the memories you have been seeing, the tale that Ghirahim related and the lies that Hylia told you, I do not believe that following her orders would be honorable.”

“No, you’re right. But I am not sure what to do. I can’t change history. The wrongs that have been done can’t just be wiped away.” I stood up and paced for a bit. “Fi, if I remember correctly, the Triforce will grant any wish, correct?”

“Yes, Master. Any wish made by one who can use the Triforce will be granted.”

“Then I’ll use the Triforce to find out the truth and find a way to make things right again. Hylia is not going to get away with destroying an innocent man who only wanted his family back.” I shook my head as I thought. “I need to find the right way to word the wish and I need to talk with Ghirahim.”

“My drowsing skill has improved greatly, Master. Allow me to guide you to Ghirahim and Kaghira.”

“Thanks, Fi.” I smiled at my sword spirit friend. “I couldn’t do this without you. You’re a good friend.”

“I was created to help you, Master. It is an honor to be your friend as well as your servant.” She returned to my sword and let me know that she sensed Ghirahim and Kaghira in the Lanayru Desert near the Lanayru Mining Facility.

It wasn’t long until I found Ghirahim and Kaghira. It looked like they were taking a break from whatever they had been doing, and I smiled as Kaghira ran over to hug me.

“Link! Guess what I found!”

“Hmm, did you find a dragon egg?” I smiled as she giggled and shook her head. “No, how about a rainbow-colored gem stone.”

“I wish she had, it would fill my heart with rainbows to see such a gem.” I chuckled and nodded in agreement.

“Link, you’re so silly.”

“Ok, I give up, what did you find, little one?” She grinned as she held up a beetle similar to mine but smaller. “That’s great, sweetie, where did you find it?”

“Near the factory. There was a metal hand holding it, but the hand wasn’t attached to anything.” I chuckled and shook my head. One of the robots must have lost their hand in a fight here and lost his beetle with it.

“Why don’t we all head up to Skyloft so you can practice near the waterfall? I wanted to talk with your mommy for a bit and it’s more comfortable up there.” I smiled at Ghirahim as he stood up and brushed the sand off his pants.

“Anything to get away from all this sand. It gets everywhere. I swear, I have sand in my hair, clothes, and shoes. I have sand in places sand should never be. It’s ridiculous how much sand I dumped out of my shoes when we sat down for a rest.”

“We could swim in the pond at the bottom of the waterfall to get most of the sand off if you want.” I chuckled at the relieved look on his face. “Don’t worry, Diamond Prince, you’ll be back to your fabulous self in no time.”

He chuckled as we headed back to Crimson and flew back up to Skyloft. As soon as we landed, he snapped his fingers, replacing his and Kaghira’s clothes with swimming outfits. I almost swallowed my tongue at the sight of Ghirahim in nothing but a pair of swimming shorts. He was the most gorgeous person I had ever seen and it pained me to know he could never be attracted to me like I was to him. Once again, I couldn’t help envying Karayan for having captured Ghirahim’s heart.

I shook my head and stripped down to my undershorts before diving into the cold water. The last thing I needed was Ghirahim knowing that I found him attractive. I couldn’t have his heart, so I would settle for having his friendship and his happiness. For him to be happy, I had to find his Tamashī no hanryo and reunite them. Sometimes, being a hero hurt.

Kaghira started a splash fight shortly after they jumped in, which helped to distract me from my own troubled thoughts for a while. Though it also made me wish that I was a part of their family and not just a friend. After a while, I left the two of them playing and laid back in the grass to dry off. I closed my eyes and thought of everything I had been through since the Wing Ceremony. Everything had been so simple back then and the only thing I had to worry about was passing my classes to become a knight.

Now I found that everything I knew had been a lie. Zelda was Hylia, Hylia wasn’t the benevolent goddess we believe her to be, Demise hadn’t started the war and never wanted to gain the power of the Triforce, and I had been tricked into serving the wrong side. I was in love with a man who was in love with another. My heart bleed for the pain and suffering that Hylia had caused everyone involved and I had to set things right.

“What’s the matter, Sky child?” I opened my eyes to see Ghirahim, dressed again in his usual outfit, sitting next to me on the grass. “You look upset.”

“You could say that.” I sighed as I sat up. I saw Kaghira practicing with her new beetle and smiled a bit. It wasn’t right that she never got to meet her Dad and that was something I could fix, if only I knew the right wish to make. “I can’t tell you everything that happened or where the Gate of Time is yet, but I talked with Zelda. She finally admitted that she was Hylia and that she was using me to destroy Demise for good. I’m not going to let that happen.”

“Then what are you going to do?”

“I’m going to find the Triforce as she requested, but the wish I want to make is difficult. It’s actually a few wishes in one, and I’m not sure how to phrase it to make it one wish.” I looked up at Ghirahim and sighed. “Fi confirmed that she was lying to me about a lot of things, including us being childhood friends. I always thought we were the best of friends, but I guess she was using me from the very start. My whole life has been one lie after another, Ghirahim.”

“I’m sorry, Link.” I shook my head and smiled as he rested his hand on my shoulder.

“It’s alright, I’ll get over it. At least my honor is still intact and that’s one thing she can’t take away from me. I will do what is right, no matter what. I want you to do me a favor.”

“What do you need?”

“Stay here while I get the Triforce and make my wish. When the time comes to face Zelda, I want you to take Kaghira back to your home and meet me back here. We’ll confront Hylia together and set thing right. I’m going to wish to know the whole truth about the war, for the skill and knowledge needed to set things right, and the courage and strength to bring justice to the one who started this whole mess.” I paused and looked up at the sky for a minute. “When this is over, I would like to meet your Karayan. I want to stay your friend, Ghirahim.”

“I want to stay friends too, Link. I haven’t had many friends you know. Being a lord doesn’t leave one with much time to make friends. Being my master’s sword leaves even less time to make friends.” I tilted my head as I looked at him.

“His sword?”

“Like Fi, I’m a sword spirit. Though unlike her, I was a demon before I became my master’s sword. It was quite the honor to be chosen to be his sword and it was very rare for him to need to wield me as a sword.” He sighed. “I’ve always felt that if I had been by his side during the war, Demise wouldn’t have been sealed. Unfortunately, I couldn’t leave Kaghira so soon after giving birth. Demise was a great master to have and an even better father-in-law. In a way, Demise was more of a father to me than my own father was.”

“I wish I could remember my parents. I don’t even know their names or what they looked like. I was very young when they died.”

“Didn’t anyone tell you about them?”

“No. No one ever even mentions them and I don’t know how they died or where they were buried. I don’t even know when they died. It always surprises me when the other knights in training complain about their families. They don’t know how lucky they are to have someone who cares about them. Zelda was the closest thing I had to family. I guess that’s why I didn’t want to believe you at first.”

“I can understand that. Don’t worry, Sky child, you still have me and Kaghira. When Demise is resurrected and we find Karayan and Kalia, you’ll have them too.” I chuckled and nodded.

“That would be a good thing, then, since I doubt that I’ll be welcome back here once this mess is cleaned up. No one would ever believe that Hylia was the one who started the war.”

“I’m sure that we’ll find a place for you, Link.”

“I’ll worry about that after everything is settled. Let’s go get some dinner and get some sleep. I have no clue how long it’s going to take me to find the Triforce but I’m sure it’s going to be even more of a pain then purifying my sword.”

“Probably.” He chuckled as I stood up and pulled my clothes back on. “No one said being a hero was easy.”

“Yeah, but then, no one ever asks the hero if they want to be a hero either.” I smiled as I headed over to Kaghira. “It’s a tough, thankless job, but someone has to do it.”

“Is it really thankless?”

“Oh, I suppose that people appreciate the help, but they also expect me to help out more and take on tougher tasks. And if you screw up, people are quicker to turn away from you. I never wanted to be some hero, I just wanted to be a knight and protect the people I know. I wanted a simple life with a family of my own.” I picked Kaghira up before turning and smiling at Ghirahim. “All I ever wanted was someone to love who would love me back. Someone worth fighting for and protecting. I just hope I find my Tamashī no hanryo someday.”

“If anyone deserves to find their Tamashī no hanryo it’s you, Sky child.”

“Thanks, Diamond Prince.” I smiled at Kaghira and tickled her. “Well, Princess of Hearts, are you ready for dinner?”

“Yep, I could eat a whole pumpkin.” Ghirahim and I laughed as we headed back to the dorm.

I left early the next morning and it was several weeks before I returned. I was exhausted from all the traveling I had to do and all the tasks I had to complete just to get the stupid song I needed to find the Triforce. I ran all over Faron Woods looking for notes so the water dragon, Faron, would teach me the first part of the Song of the Hero.

Then, when I fell off Crimson due to Eldin Volcano erupting, I was captured by Bokoblins and had to not only escape, but get all my stuff back. It was tiring to climb all the way up to get the second part of the Song of the Hero from the fire dragon, Eldin.

Next, I had to travel back to the Lanayru Mine Entry, blow a hole in a cave wall, crawl through the passage to get to the Lanayru Gorge, activate a timeshift stone, and fight my way through the caves, only to find out that the thunder dragon, Lanayru, was sick and needed a fruit from the tree of life to heal. Of course, the seedling was dead due to the climate of the desert but luckily there was another timeshift stone, so I was able to get the seedling when it was still alive.

Once I got the seedling, I headed back to the Sealed Temple, went back in time and planted the seedling, then came back to this time and collected one of the fruits from the fully-grown tree. I got back to the thunder dragon, gave him the fruit and learned the third part of the song.

Finally, I headed back into Thunderhead and got the last part of the song from Levias. As soon as I got the completed song, I headed back to Skyloft. I checked my room and didn’t see Ghirahim or Kaghira, so I left them a note asking Ghirahim to meet me at the Sealed Temple once he’s taken Kaghira back to his home and letting him know that I would be there as soon as I could.

I stocked up on potions and upgrade my equipment before going to the Light Tower. I found the hidden gate, followed the path, played the song and then headed into the Goddess’s Silent Realm. I collected all the Tears while dodging the guardians, got the Stone of Trials and followed it to Sky Keep.

After figuring out several puzzles, fighting several battles, and traveling through eight different rooms, I collected the Triforce of Courage, the Triforce of Power, and the Triforce of Wisdom. Then, Fi advised me to head to the Goddess Statue and climb up to the statues hands. Once I was standing on the statue’s hands, I made my wish on the Triforce. As the Goddess Statue fell to the Sealed Grounds, the true history of the war between Demise and Hylia played through my mind.

It was just as Ghirahim had said, Hylia had sealed Kalia in a clearing deep in Faron Woods and tried to trick Demise into forsaking his goddess and queen. All to gain control over the Tree of Creation which had been entrusted to Kalia and the strongest of the demons, Demise, for protection. Demise, Kalia and those connected to them through blood or marriage where the only ones who could use it if they needed to.

When she failed to convince Demise to marry her, she sent word to Prince Karayan asking him to meet her to negotiate his Mom’s release. This was just a pretext to get him into her realm, where she was most powerful. I wanted to puke as I watched Hylia demand that her own nephew marry her in return for his Mom’s release.

When Prince Karayan tried to reason with Hylia, she cast a spell that rendered him unconscious. What I saw next infuriated me beyond belief. Hylia stole his memories, gave him fake memories, took him to the future, and transformed him…into me. Then she altered everyone in Skyloft’s memory to include me when Link had never existed.

This knowledge was quickly followed by the knowledge that the only way to fully release and resurrect my father, Demise, was for him to absorb Hylia’s soul. Once her soul ceased to be, her spell on me would be broken and Dad would be able to release Mom from the Faron Woods clearing, the same clearing that felt so much like home to me. The clearing where I had meet my daughter. When the Goddess statue landed, I jumped off the statue and used my sail clothe to land safely.

Fi warned me that it wouldn’t be long before Hylia awoke and that she detected the old woman and Groose in the temple. Before heading into the Sealed Temple, I saw Ghirahim just inside the tree line. I made my way over to him, wanting to tell him what I had found out, but there wasn’t time.

“Ghirahim, I need you to stay hidden until the old woman and Groose, the big idiot with the terrible hairstyle, leave the temple. When they leave, create a barrier to keep them out. I don’t want them to be hurt, so it’s best that they don’t get involved.”

“You seem pissed, Sky child.” I smirked and narrowed my eyes as I glared at the temple.

“You could say that and you’ll find out why when we have Hylia alone. I have to go now, she’ll wake up soon. Can’t let her wake up and not see “her hero” now can we.”

“No, we can’t do that. It would be unspeakably rude to keep a lady waiting.”

“It won’t be long now, Diamond Prince. She’ll finally get exactly what she deserves.” I closed my eyes for a second and let my face relax into my usual happy expression before running for the temple door. Groose and the old woman were waiting in front of the Gate of Time. I grinned and nodded to them as they waved in greeting.

Before they had a chance to say anything, the door behind the Gate of Time started opening. I headed into the room to see the red crystal containing Hylia pulsing and starting to crack. A few minutes later, the crystal exploded and Hylia walked down the stairs, only to start falling as she reached the bottom. For a half-second, I considered letting her fall, but instead I caught her, just as I would have before I learned the truth.

“Good morning…Link.” She smiled at me and I forced myself to smile back.

“Good morning, Zelda.” She leaned on me weakly as we headed back to the Gate of Time room.

The old woman and Groose both rushed over and babbled happily to see Zelda. After a few minutes of laughing, crying and hugging, the old woman led Groose out of the Sealed Temple to give Zelda and I some privacy. She looked up at me and leaned forward a bit, but looked confused when a stepped back and laughed.

“What’s wrong, Link?”

“Oh, nothing’s wrong, Hylia. Nothing that can’t be corrected anyway. I have to say, I never would have thought you were so twisted and disgusting as to try to convince your own nephew to marry you.” I smirked as her eyes widened, her hand flew to her lips and she backed away, shaking her head. “Yes, I know exactly what you did and you’re going to pay for the pain, suffering and deaths you’ve caused. After all, a hero fights evil, not defends it.”

“How did…This wasn’t supposed to…” She turned and tried to run, but I was expecting that and grabbed her by her hair and pulled her away from the Gate of Time.

“No escaping that way, my dear Aunt Hylia.” I whispered into her ear before I pulled a bomb out of my pouch and threw it into the Gate. In seconds, the Gate of Time was destroyed. “You tore me away from my life, stole my memories, gave me fake ones and stuck me in this time so you could use and trick me. I’m usually a forgiving person, but there’s one thing I could never forgive.”

I turned her to face me, grabbed her upper arms, and glared down into her pale face. I heard someone walking behind me and for a second, Hylia looked hopeful. When the hopeful look turned to terror, I smiled and looked over my shoulder at Ghirahim.

“Why don’t you tell Ghirahim what you did to his Tamashī no hanryo, Demise’s son Karayan, Hylia? I’m sure he’d love to know just how much and why I hate you.” She shook her head and tried to pry herself out of my grip. “Not going to talk, Hylia. Maybe I should let Ghirahim beat the truth out of you. After everything you did to him, I think he’s enjoy seeing you suffer.”

“Link…please snap out of it…can’t you see he lied to you…he messed with your head…gave you false memories…we’re best friends…remember.”

“Funny you should mention memories, Hylia. I never told Ghirahim about the dreams I had. Or should I say, the memories you suppressed. Up until I made my wish on the Triforce, I thought perhaps Karayan was trying to reach out to me in my sleep. Imagine my surprise to find out that I am Karayan.” By that time, I was practically yelling in her face. “If I didn’t need you to resurrect my Dad, I would kill you in the most painful way possible, Aunt Hylia. You deserve to suffer for every tear you made my Diamond Prince cry.”

“Sky child…is this really true?” I looked back over to Ghirahim and smiled softly. His beautiful face, filled with both hope and fear, was partly hidden by one hand over his white lips.

“It’s true, my Tamashī no hanryo. I am so sorry that I didn’t start remembering sooner. I caused you so much pain and I promised you on the day we were wed, in front of the Tree of Creation, that I would never hurt you. I am so sorry that I broke that promise, my dear Diamond Prince.” His eyes widened and his eyes filled with tears. With a snap of his fingers, Hylia was trapped in a barrier, leaving me free to return his hug. I brushed his hair out of his face and stood on my toes to kiss the diamond on his cheek gently. “Damn that bitch for making me short.”

“Oh, Karayan. It fills my heart with rainbows to hold you again. I’ve missed you so much, my dear Sky child.” I chuckled, cupped his cheek and wiped his tears from his cheek with my thumb.

“It was torture to be so close to you, to fall in love with you all over again, and believe that I could never call you mine. I’ll show you just how much I love you once we resurrect Dad and this spell on me is broken.” He smiled and kissed the palm of my hand before pulling away from me.

“Then let’s get started. It takes a while for the spell to be completed.”

“Master, I sense the old woman approaching the temple. Though the one called Groose is not with her, I would advise hurrying before she breaches the barrier.”

“Fi, you traitor. I created you and you turn on my as well.”

“I was created to serve my master. His wishes and goals are my own and it is his wish to correct the wrongs you committed.” I smiled at Fi. “Besides, I do not like you.”

I nodded to Ghirahim and backed away to keep an eye on the door while he started the spell. As he chanted, Hylia screamed, started glowing, and floated while a blood red circle formed beneath her. After chanting for five minutes, Ghirahim smirked and backed up to stand beside me.

“It won’t be long now. Her soul will be sucked out of her body and devoured by the Imprisoned, allowing Demise to be fully resurrected.”

“Once her soul is completely absorbed, her spell on me will be broken and Dad will be able to release Mom. Then we can all go home.” I leaned against his shoulder and sighed. “I’ve missed so much of Kaghira’s life.”

“Well, once we’re home, we could always have another child.” I chuckled and smiled at his lusty tone.

“Oh, I don’t know, Diamond Prince. I think I want to keep you to myself for a few years before I have to share you with anyone other than Kaghira. After all, I know how much you’ve missed feeling my fangs on your neck and my claws on your back, among other places.” He shivered a bit and I winked at him. “Soon, my Tamashī no hanryo, soon.”


	6. Chapter Six

Karayan’s POV

The pounding at the temple door was getting on my nerves. It had been twenty minutes since the spell had started and Ghirahim estimated that it would only take another ten before it was complete. The old woman had been trying to break the barrier for the last ten minutes.

“To be on the safe side, you should create another barrier inside the first. She may be able to break the first before Dad consumes Hylia’s soul, but she won’t be able to break a second one in time.”

“I love how your mind works, Karayan.” He concentrated and created a second barrier about three feet inside the first. “The pounding is rather annoying. Hylia’s pained whimpers are much more pleasing to the ear.”

“It’s just too bad that her suffering is almost over. It’s not nearly enough for what she did.” I sighed and glance over to Hylia. The golden glow of her soul had brightened considerably. A well of darkness started forming within the circle below her and I grinned. “Looks like Dad’s not going to wait any longer.”

Just as the Imprisoned emerged from the ground, that old woman broke through the first barrier and ran into the room. I turned sideways so that I could see both the old woman and what was happening with Hylia.

“Link, what are you doing? Why are you not fighting to save Zelda and how is the Imprisoned still alive?! Have you betrayed your goddess?!” I shook my head and smiled slightly.

“I’m on the side of justice. After all the lives Hylia destroyed for her greed, this is the least of what she deserves. By the way, Link was the name Hylia gave me when she stole my memories and replaced them with fake ones. I am Prince Karayan, only son of King Demise and Goddess Queen Kalia, Hylia’s nephew.”

“What are you talking about? Hylia was just trying to protect her people and Demise was never married or had a child.” I scoffed at that.

“You don’t know anything about the war or the cause of it. Demise never wanted the war, but Hylia wouldn’t release my Mom and then took me. What father wouldn’t wage war to rescue his wife and child.” I raised a brow as the old woman cursed me for a fool. “I have no desire for you to be hurt, I would suggest leaving before my Dad is fully resurrected. It may take a bit to calm him down and I don’t exactly look like myself right now.”

“You may have betrayed Hylia, but I will not.”

“So be it. If you attack, I will show you no mercy. Not that it will matter. Dad will be resurrected before you can break through the second barrier.” I smiled as Hylia gave another pained shriek. The Imprisoned, now fully emerged from the darkness below, opened its mouth and Hylia’s body glowed brighter before her soul was sucked into the Imprisoned.

The room went dark as the Imprisoned transformed into black smoke. The smoke pulsed for a few seconds before drawing in on itself and forming into my Dad. A smile light my face as I took in his gray skin, his black scaled arms and shoulders, and his flaming hair. The white “X” on his forehead was new and I was sure it came from when I had to seal the Imprisoned. I was sorry for having to keep him sealed.

“Master, it fills my heart with rainbows to see you again.” Ghirahim knelt in front of my Dad and held his arm over his chest.

“Ghirahim, rise. You have done well in resurrecting me.” He shifted his gaze to me and I nodded to him. “Who is this?”

“I should have listened when you asked me not to try negotiating with Hylia, Dad.”

“Karayan, what has Hylia done to you?” I sighed and explained what took place when I went to negotiate with Hylia. Dad growled and clenched his fist, while the old woman gasped in dismay.

“Once you’ve fully absorbed Hylia’s soul, the spell on me will be broken, we can go release Mom and go home. We can leave the Hylians to their own devices.”

“It doesn’t seem fair that they aren’t punished for what they did as well.” I shook my head and smiled.

“We can’t stoop to Hylia’s level, Dad. The Hylians who live now had no part in the war and shouldn’t be held accountable for the sins of their goddess and their ancestors.” Dad growled again and glared at the old woman. “Besides, I don’t want Kaghira to grow up in an era of war.”

“Kaghira, my little granddaughter. I have missed so much of her life.” Dad’s eyes softened and he sighed before he nodded in agreement. “You were always much wiser than your years, my son. Very well, there shall be peace once again as long as the Hylians leave us alone.”

“Ghirahim, my Tamashī no hanryo, why don’t you go get Kaghira? I’m sure that she’d love to see her grandfather again, and she should be here so she understands that her friend, Link, didn’t just leave.” Ghirahim smiled and nodded before snapping his fingers and teleporting away. I turned to see the old woman, still standing outside the barrier. Her eyes were wide with shock. “Leave, there is nothing you can do to stop the inevitable. Go live the remainder of your life and leave my family alone as we will leave yours alone.”

“How can this be true? Hylia would never have done what you claim.”

“Whether you believe it or not is of no importance. It took me a while to believe that Hylia had lied to me as well, but the Triforce cannot lie when one wishes for the truth.” I turned away from her and smiled at my Dad, who was leaning against a column with his arms crossed. “The whole reason she chose me as her “Hero” was to trick me into falling for her so she could rule both realms. She didn’t actually care for anyone but herself.”

“Hylia was always the selfish one, which was why the Goddesses, Din, Farora, and Nayru entrusted Kalia and I with their last and greatest gift to the realms. The Tree of Creation, a tree that only those of my family can use to create new creatures.” Dad sighed and shook his head. “Hylia did not create your kind or any of the other creatures on the surface. Din, Farora, and Nayru did and our realm, our kind were the first they created. The three Goddesses did not trust Hylia with the tree. They knew she was power hungry.”

“Link!” I smiled as Kaghira and Ghirahim appeared in a flourish of gold, black and red diamonds. Kaghira jumped out on Ghirahim’s arms and ran over to me. “Mommy said that you had a surprise for me!”

“You bet I do, Princess of Hearts.” I laughed as she hugged me. When she looked up at me, I nodded towards Dad and smiled when her eyes widened. “Kaghira, go say hi to your grandpa.”

“Grandpa!!” she giggled and ran into Dad’s arms. “Mommy, look, Grandpa’s back!”

“You’ve gotten so big, little princess.” Dad grinned as he sat her on his left shoulder. “Last time I saw you, you were just starting to talk and walk.”

She giggled when Dad started tickling her. I heard a strange noise and looked over to see the old woman watching Dad and Kaghira with a shocked look on her face.

“What? Didn’t expect a demon to be a family man?” I shook my head at Ghirahim glared at her. “Hylians are all so quick to judge others by appearances.”

“The child just called you, mommy?”

“Ghirahim is my Tamashī no hanryo.” I smiled at Ghirahim. “He’s the mother of my children as I am the dominate one in our pairing. When I found out Ghirahim was Kaghira’s mother, before I learned that Link was never real, I was confused as well.”

“Sky child, Hylia’s soul will be gone soon. We should explain what’s going to happen to Kaggy before the spell breaks.” I nodded before turning back to Dad and Kaghira.

“You should go now.”

“I shall wait and bury Zelda once the barrier is gone. It is the least I can do for the child.”

“Zelda died a long time ago, before she ever had a chance to live. Have Groose take her home. Tell him whatever you want but know that if we are attacked, we will not hesitate to defend ourselves.” I looked back at the old woman. “All we ever wanted was to be left in peace.”

She nodded and I gave her a smile before joining Dad, Ghirahim and Kaghira by the ruined Gate of Time. Dad smiled and laid one huge hand on my shoulder. Kaghira was busy telling him all about her time spent on the surface and showing off the swords that Ghirahim and I had given her.

“Kaggy, you can tell Grandpa all about it when we get home.”

“Can Link come home with us?” I smiled at Kaghira. “I like Link, he’s really nice Grandpa, please can Link come home with us?”

“That’s what we need to talk to you about Kaghira.” I reached up and tapped her little nose. “I will definitely be going back home with you. However, we have something to tell you.”

It took a few minutes to explain to Kaghira what we had learned. Of course, she was full of questions but in the end, it was when Hylia’s soul was fully absorbed and her spell on my broke that Kaghira fully understood what we were trying to tell her.

I knew the instant Hylia was gone for good. I groaned and grabbed my head as pain exploded throughout my entire body. It felt like my whole body was being pulled apart though the worst of the pain was in my head as my mind was flooded with all the memories that had been suppressed. Two hundred years of memories bombarded my mind and I was unaware of anything but the pain until I lost consciousness.

Ghirahim’s POV

As we were telling Kaghira about the spell Hylia had put on Karayan, which changed him into Link, Karayan suddenly groaned and clenched his head. His legs buckled and I caught him as he started to fall. Though his eyes were open, they were dulled with pain and I didn’t know if he was even aware of his surroundings.

“Master?” I started worrying when he whimpered in pain and he started bleeding from his nose and ears.

“He’ll be alright, Ghirahim. Hylia’s spell is breaking.” Demise sighed as he patted Kaghira’s back and held her to his chest. “Transformation spells are painful both in the setting and in the breaking.”

I nodded, sank down to the floor, and held Karayan close as he slowly grew back to 7’ 3”, a foot taller than me and about two feet shorter than Demise. His shoulders widened and he grew a bit less muscular than Demise. His growth split his clothes as they became much too small for his large frame. His skin paled a bit and his hands became clawed. Midnight blue scales grew from his shoulders, down his back, sides, legs, and arms, leaving his chest neck and face bare. The blond-brown hair grew out and turned golden, shining in the dim light.

His delicate face, though still lovely, became slightly less feminine looking. His face and skin tone came from Kalia while his build came from Demise. The whole process took about ten minutes and other than a few groans and whimpers, Karayan was quiet.

I was vaguely aware of the old woman collecting Hylia’s vessel’s body and leaving as I spread my cape over Karayan and stroked his hair. He shuddered a few times in his sleep and my heart ached for the pain he was going through.

“Mommy, is Daddy ok?” I smiled up at Kaghira who was staring worriedly at us from Demise’s arms.

“Daddy’s going to be fine, Kaggy, don’t worry.” She nodded and snuggled into Demise’s chest.

“Daddy’s going to need clothes, though.” We chuckled before I snapped my fingers. Karayan’s favorite midnight blue cape with the gold triangles embroidered along the edges and the gold belt with a dark blue sapphire tear in the center appeared around his waist. While his cape was like Demise’s brown and gold cape, it wasn’t long enough to drag on the floor when he stood. I was happy to see that his arm band appeared. The band was identical to the one I wore, as they were a matching set which showed that we belonged to each other. The only other thing that he wore was his sword, still strapped to his back.

I looked up as Demise leaned over and handed Kaghira to me before picking Karayan up. I stood and picked Kaghira up before following Demise out of the temple and into the woods.

“Master?” He looked over his shoulder at me.

“We will release Kalia and take them home. It may be a while before Karayan wakes again.” I sighed and nodded. “I believe that I once told you to call me by my name, Ghirahim. After all, you are family.”

I smiled slightly. While I had originally been selected to become the sword spirit of Demise’s blade, once Karayan and I were wed, Demise insisted on having me use his name.

“Sorry, Demise. I’ve gotten into the habit of calling you master so that Hylia’s servants didn’t suspect anything.”

“It was a wise precaution to take. However, she is gone now and it is no longer necessary.” I laughed quietly and shook my head as he started walking again. Demise had always been a man of few words. As we approached the clearing that held Kalia’s seal, Fi appeared.

“Ghirahim, there is an 80 percent chance that I will not be able to stay with my master when you return home. With my creator destroyed, my sword will not last long.”

“What? But Fi-Fi, I want you to come home with us too.” Kaghira pouted.

“I would have liked that too, Kaghira. However, I am sure that is not possible for me.”

“Unfortunately, I believe that Fi is correct.” Demise shifted Karayan in his arms to pull the sheath off him and handed the sword to me. The gem in the pommel was starting to crack and when I partly drew the sword out of the sheath, I could see the metal no longer shone. “Unless she is bound to another sword, she will fade soon.”

“I had hoped to bid my master goodbye, but I calculate that he will not awaken for another two days, four hours, thirty-six minutes and twelve seconds.”

“Demise, can’t we bind her to another sword?” I frowned at the thought of my fellow sword spirit dying.

“If we had an appropriate sword. But it would have to be a Hylian sword. Fi was created by Hylia and would not be able to bond with a Demon sword.”

“I have a Hylian sword, Grandpa! Fi-Fi can live in it!”

“I am sorry, Kaghira, but the sword that Master gave you is not strong enough to contain the power that I hold.” Kaghira’s face fell.

“Wait, would you be able to merge with a sword that’s both Hylian and Demon made?”

“There is a 50 percent chance that I would be able to do so.”

“If we merge both of Kaghira’s swords together, would it be strong enough to contain you? Would you be willing to try merging with the new sword?”

“If I can merge with it, it should be strong enough. Both swords are strong, just not strong enough at this point. The odds of surviving are higher with trying to bond with a new sword as there is a 0 percent chance that I would survive without a sword.”

“Grandpa, will you help me combine my swords?”

“It will take a lot of magic to do this, Kaghira. It would be best if I did it.”

“I can do it, Grandpa! I know I can do it!”

“Kaggy, let your Grandpa do this. I know you’re strong, but the spell is very difficult.” I sighed as she shook her head and pouted. “Sweetie, if the spell isn’t done just right, both swords could be ruined and Fi wouldn’t be able to try bonding with it.”

“But if Grandpa does it, will he have enough magic to release Grandma?” Demise chuckled as he settled Karayan at the base of a tree before ruffling her hair.

“I’ll have plenty of magic left, Kaghira. But we will have to do this now. I don’t think Fi has much longer.” I showed Kaghira Fi’s sword. In the last few minutes, the cracks in the jewel had spread. Kaghira sighed and nodded before she handed her swords over to Demise. I handed Fi’s sword over as well. “It will only take a few minutes. Ghirahim, you and Kaghira stay here with Karayan. Fi will come with me.”

I nodded and sat next to Karayan with Kaghira in my lap as Demise teleported away with Fi in a burst of black smoke. I hoped that Fi would be alright. Though her lack of emotions could be annoying at times, she was a good friend to Kaghira.

“Mommy, do you think Fi will be ok?”

“I don’t know, sweetie. I hope so.”

“Me too.” Kaghira sighed.

I braided Kaghira’s hair while we waited for Demise to return, hopefully with Fi. By the time Demise returned with the new sword, I had a rainbow of flowers tucked into Kaghira’s braided hair. Kaghira jumped up and ran over to Demise as I studied the new sword in his hand. It was about the same size and shape as the master sword had been. The blade was half black and half blue steel, there was a silver crescent moon with a golden sun in it at the base of the blade, the hilt was wrapped in blue and purple leather, and the pommel was blue steel with a half black and half green heart shaped jewel.

“Grandpa, did it work? Is Fi-Fi ok?”

“She bonded to the sword, but will need time to recover before she can emerge. Once she’s rested, she’ll need to renew her bond with Karayan or bond with someone else.” Demise smiled down at Kaghira as she cheered and jumped up and down. “Alright, princess, settle down. It’s time to go get Grandma.”

I smiled as I stood up and gathered my little girl into my arms again. Demise handed me the new sword before picking Karayan up and heading into the clearing.

“This is where I meet Daddy and Fi!” I chuckled as I remembered Karayan telling me about how he met Kaghira. “Look, Mommy! It’s the fairy that chased me.”

I looked to see a fairy fluttering around Karayan and Demise. Kaghira giggled as it landed on Karayan’s forehead. It glowed briefly before fluttering away over the flowers again. Karayan groaned and tilted his head towards Demise. I chuckled as Karayan yawned tried to roll over.

“I’d say that fairy cut Karayan’s recovery time down quite a bit.” Demise chuckled as he laid him down and headed to the center of the clearing. “I’ll start on releasing the seal. Watch over Karayan.”

I nodded and set Kaghira down next to my Tamashī no hanryo. Demise strode into the middle of the clearing and knelt next to a crystal and white stone pyramid. The crystals refracted rainbows as the sun hit them. Demise laid one large hand on the stone and started chanting softly. As much as I admired Demise, he lacked style when casting spells. He could have danced a bit like I did when I freed him. It was sad that there weren’t many people with a sense of style.

I stroked Karayan’s hair as Kaghira picked some flowers nearby. Soon the center of the clearing was cloaked in black and red smoke. I felt the power swell and heard the seal cracking. A few minutes passed before there was a blinding flash of silver light filled the clearing and I heard Kalia’s musical laughter again for the first time in centuries. I smiled as the light faded revealing Demise and Kalia wrapped in each other’s arms, kissing.

Kaghira giggled as she ran up and hugged Demise’s leg. I smiled as I picked up Karayan’s hand and kissed it. It filled my heart with rainbows to see Demise so happy again.

“Let’s go home.” Kalia smiled warmly as she held her hand out to me. I grinned and let her pull me up as Demise gathered Karayan into his arms again. Kalia kissed his forehead and brushed a few strands of his golden hair out of his face. I picked Kaghira up and sighed happily as Kalia wrapped her arms around our waists before teleporting us home.


	7. Chapter Seven

Karayan’s POV

_“Little prince, so brave, so true,_

_Let your loving heart guide you._

_Through day and night,_

_Through glee and plight,_

_Little prince, keep your light._

_Though the winds may howl,_

_Though the lightning may strike,_

_Little prince, you shall make it through._

_The world may shatter,_

_The sky may fall,_

_Little prince, you shall survive it all._

_Little prince, so brave, so true,_

_Let your loving heart guide you._

_Through day and night,_

_Through glee and plight,_

_Little prince, keep your light._

_Danger may threaten,_

_Evil my spread,_

_Little prince, use your clever head._

_Wisdom beyond years,_

_Courage beyond tears,_

_Little prince, your strength is clear._

_Little prince, so brave, so true,_

_Let your loving heart guide you._

_Through day and night,_

_Through glee and plight,_

_Little prince, keep your light.”_

I smiled as my Mom’s singing pulled me from my sleep. It had been so long since I had heard her voice outside of my dreams. I blinked my eyes open and smiled as I looked into Mom’s brilliant blue eyes.

“Morning, Mom.” Her smile was almost as beautiful as Ghirahim’s.

“Morning, my little prince.” I sat up and looked around to see that I was back in the room I had grown up in. I pulled her in for a hug and rested my face on her shoulder, like I used to when I was little. I smiled when I felt her kiss the top of my head.

“Where’s Ghirahim, Dad and Kaghira?” I frowned as I pulled back from our hug. “Where’s Fi?”

“Demise, Ghirahim and Kaghira are in the dining room. As for Fi, she had to bond to a new sword. She will let us know when she’s awake again. With Hylia’s death, her spells will break apart. The stronger the spell, the longer it will take to break.”

“What about Skyloft? How long will it take for the islands to come crashing down?” I stood up and ran one clawed hand through my much longer hair. It felt strange to have hair this long again.

“It will take a few years. Unfortunately, there’s no way to stop that from happening.” I closed my eyes and sighed before nodding.

“I’ll have to get word to Skyloft about this. They need to start building on the surface and evacuating Skyloft.”

“Don’t worry, son. I’ve already taken care of that. The headmaster of that Knight Academy has already started expeditions to find a suitable place for their new home. I sent him a vision and told him what was going to happen as well as what happened to his daughter.” She laughed and shook her head. “He plans on calling it Hyrule in honor of Hylia.”

I rolled my eyes and shook my head before grabbing a new waist cape and heading for the door to my bathroom. I smiled again over my shoulder at her.

“It doesn’t surprise me. Thanks for taking care of that for me, Mom. I’ll meet you in the dining room. I’m taking a quick bath before heading down.”

“Alright sweetie. Don’t be too long or Ghirahim may come looking for you.” She laughed as she headed out of the room. “Kaghira wouldn’t be too far behind him.”

“I’ll be quick.” I chuckled as I took a quick bath, dressed and headed to the dining room. It warmed my heart to see Mom and Dad together again and to see my gorgeous Tamashī no hanryo smiling at me from his seat next to our daughter. I smiled and kissed his cheek before sitting down with my family. 

“Karayan, we were just talking about Fi.” I nodded at Dad. “She should be recovered enough to manifest soon. Do you want to bind her to you or someone else?”

“I think we should let her choose who she wants to serve.” My Diamond Prince winked at me as I kissed his hand. “After all, she should have the same choice as my Tamashī no hanryo had.”

My parents smiled at me and nodded as Ghirahim squeezed my hand in thanks. We had talked several times before we wed about how most sword spirits had no choice of master and some of them ended up with abusive masters. Dad and I had put an end to the tradition of some lords to sell their younger children to others as sword spirits in exchange for power or money.

By the time Mom had been sealed, the only new sword spirits created in our realm were those who agreed to become spirit swords and they chose their own masters. That’s why sword spirits were so rare now. I was glad to hear that Dad was able to transfer Fi to a new sword. I had grown fond of the blue and purple sword spirit during our journey.

After breakfast, we all went to Lake Kalia to swim. Ghirahim filled us in on what had been going on in the demon realm over the centuries while Kaghira practiced her aim with her slingshot on some demon fireflies. I was so proud of the work he had done while we were gone.

In a few centuries, when Dad and Mom passed the throne down, he would make a wonderful queen. I smiled down at him as he cuddled into my side and gave his shoulders a gentle squeeze. He smiled back at me and wrapped his arm around my waist, caressing my side with his thump.

I smirked and winked at him before leaning down and kissing his sweet white lips. I heard Mom and Dad chuckling as Ghirahim blushed.

“We’ll just take Kaghira home with us, son.” I looked up at Dad as he helped Mom stand up. Dad winked at us and I chuckled. “Don’t be back too late though. We have to meet with the other lords tomorrow.”

“Things are going to be hectic for a while. You two take as much time for yourselves as you can.” Mom kissed both our foreheads. “We love you two.”

“Thanks, Mom. We love you too.” I smiled up at Dad. “Both of you.”

 Dad smiled and ruffled my hair before sweeping Kaghira up and teleported away.

“So, just how much have you missed my fangs and claws, my little Diamond Prince?” I chuckled and winked as he blushed. He leaned up and buried his hands in my hair as we kissed. “I’ve missed that talented tongue of yours.”

Kalia’s POV

I laughed as Kaghira ran around the garden chasing a remlit Ghirahim had brought back with him from Skyloft. I smiled up at Demise as he wrapped his arm around my waist and kissed the top of my head.

“I missed you, my king.”

“I missed you too, my goddess, my love.”

“Grandpa, Grandma.” I looked down at Kaghira before pulling her into my lap.

“Yes, little one?”

“Why did we leave Mommy and Daddy behind?” Demise chuckled and winked at me. We had already had our private reunion the night before, but with Karayan still unconscious, this was their first opportunity to be alone.

“Well, Mommy and Daddy need some time alone right now. They’ve missed each other very much.” I smiled as Kaghira nodded.

“Ok, but I want to sleep with Mommy and Daddy tonight.” I laughed.

“You’ll have to talk with them for that, but I don’t think they will mind.” Kaghira sighed and nodded again.

“There’s a 92 percent chance that Karayan and Ghirahim will let you sleep with them for the next month or so, Kaghira.” I smiled as Kaghira squealed and jumped off my lap. I turned to see a sword spirit standing beside Demise.

“Fi-Fi! You’re back!” Fi laughed as she opened her arms to catch Kaghira. “You’ve changed.”

“I believe that my new sword has caused a change in not only my appearance but also my personality. I have a much better understanding of emotions than I had before.” She looked down at herself and smiled. “I like the new colors. Black, white and green go well together.”

“Your hair’s longer too and doesn’t stick up like it used to.”

“It’s also nice to have hands.” I smiled as Kaghira and Fi talked.

“It’s nice to see her smiling and laughing. Before, she didn’t show any emotions.” I looked up at Demise. I could see the happiness in his golden eyes.

“My sister was cruel to make her without emotions and without a will of her own.”

“She paid for her cruelty. The past is behind us and Karayan is right that we should look to the future.” I winked at my Tamashī no hanryo before I kissed his cheek.

“I’m glad that you listened to Karayan, my love. It would have broken my heart to see you become as twisted as my sister was.”

“I know, love. I never want to disappoint you.”

“I’m sure you never will.” We spent the next few hours wrapped in each other’s arms as we watched Kaghira and Fi talk and play together. Karayan and Ghirahim teleported into the garden just as we were about to head inside for the night.

“Fi!” Karayan smiled at the sword spirit. “I’m glad that you’re alright.”

“Hello, Karayan, Ghirahim. It’s good to see you again.” Demise cleared his throat, catching everyone’s attention. I loved seeing the grin on his face as he looked at Fi.

“Fi, Karayan has decided that you should be given the chance to choose your own master.” I smiled as Fi tilted her head.

“It isn’t fair to make the decision for you.” Karayan smiled down at Ghirahim before looking back at Fi. “We have a rule here that prevents a sword spirit from being forced to accept a master that they don’t want.”

“You can take as much time as you need to make your choice.” I reached out and took her hand. “We want to make sure that you’re happy.”

“Thank you, but I live in Kaghira’s sword. Shouldn’t that make her my master?”

“Fi-Fi, I don’t mind if you choose someone else if you want. I just didn’t want my friend to die.” Fi smiled at Kaghira and shook her head.

“I would prefer to stay close to Karayan as I have grown fond of him, but I think I would like to have you as a master more. Karayan is nice, but he doesn’t need me.” Fi knelt next to Kaghira. “I would be honored to be your sword as well as your friend, Kaghira.”

We all laughed as Kaghira squealed and hugged Fi. She pulled Fi’s long sword from the sheath and held it up like Fi asked her to, though the sword was much too long for her.

“You’ll grow into your sword, Kaghira. Now, it’s passed your bedtime.” Ghirahim picked her up after she slid Fi’s sword back into its sheath.

“Can I sleep with you and Daddy tonight?” Karayan chuckled and kissed her forehead.

“Of course you can, Princess of Hearts.” I smiled as Kaghira snuggled into Ghirahim’s arms and beamed at Karayan. Demise and I watched the three of them head into the castle.

“It’s so good to have my family back.” I winked at Demise as I smiled up at him.

“It’s good to be back in your arms, Demise.” I sighed wistfully as I thought about our son, his Tamashī no hanryo and their daughter. “I miss having a child.”

“Well, we can always have another one.” I giggled as Demise smirked down at me.

“Perhaps Karayan wouldn’t mind sharing us now that he has a family of his own.” Demise laughed and shook his head.

“I don’t know, Kalia. He didn’t even like sharing you with me when he was little.” I giggled as I thought back to all the nights that he would sleep between us when he was little. Half the night he would snuggle into Demise’s chest and the other half he would cuddle up with me.

“He didn’t want to share either of us, dearest. I don’t think we have much too much to worry about now.”

“Then what are we waiting for.” He grinned as he swung me up into his arms and carried me to our room. “After all, we have centuries to make up for.”

 

**The End**


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